The Chaldean Wildcard
by Useless Dopant
Summary: The 48th Master of Chaldea has died, ascending to the Throne of Heroes. It is through his unique method of befriending and forming deep bonds with a countless number of Heroic Spirits does he find himself summoned in Grail Wars of the past; A series of one shots wherein Ritsuka Fujimaru is summoned as a walking embodiment of a Wildcard in the various Grail Wars of the Nasuverse.
1. Chapter 1: Within the Observatory

**All characters belong to Kinoko Nasu and TYPE MOON.**

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Within an empty space, an old man lounging in a wooden chair chuckled.

"Hoh? Is there something you've found amusing, Zelretch?" Came a man's voice.

The identified Zelretch turned his head to his left, his gaze pointed at a table where an antique Rotary Phone innocently sat.

Turning his head back to where he was originally looking, the old man finally spoke. Amusement tinged the Wizard Marshal's voice as he made his reply, "You're familiar with the Joker card, right, Alcatraz?"

Faking as if faced with an accusation of the most offensive degree, the identified Caubac Alcatraz responded, "How DARE you! Who do you take me for? I AM called 'Comedian of the Dead Apostles' for a reason. I would know of the Joker card and its unique value within card games."

The old man, floating in the void, seemed to focus on something in the distance as he turned the pages of a book in his lap, before speaking again, "Indeed you would…" After as second of more page flipping, Zelretch stopped, "There is a newly christened Heroic Spirit, one from a world cut off from all others."

The voice from the Rotary Phone allowed curiosity to color his voice, "Oh? And has she or he been stirring up trouble in the worlds they've touched down in?"

Zelretch's mouth curled into a devious grin, "Not in the worldline ending trouble you may be thinking."

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The Joker Card, also known as the Wildcard, is most known for its fluctuating value in Poker. When drawn, the player can designate it to stand for any card of their choice

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**Author's Note**

**Inspired by Pallan Minverva's The Saga of Shirou's Summons, this fanfic is a series of oneshots where Ritsuka Fujimaru, the last Master of Panhuman History, ascends to the Throne of Heroes and is summoned into the various Grail Wars, replacing a Servant in each instance of a Grail War. With his unique ability of summoning the Servants that have aided in his journey to preserve human history, his abilities align neatly into the role of a Wildcard: replicating and surpassing the value of the various 'cards' on the battlefield of the Holy Grail War.**


	2. Chapter 2: Avenger of the Third

**Summary: in which Darnic gets an aneurysm**

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Darnic Prestone Yggdmillenia awoke to the sounds of fire crackling and the choking, acrid scent of smoke. Letting out a groan, he attempted to get up with his single arm, only to find something hot pinning him to the ground.

Dishevelled locks stuck to his sweat soaked face as he looked at the flaming wreckage around him. He growled as he began to recall the progression of this farce of a Grail War.

It had all gone so well. He had dominated the other participants of the Grail with his subtle tactics, partially granted by his Lancer Servant's advice and Skills.

First had been the Sajyou Family. After their Archer Servant had been tired out by their fight against the Edelfelt Sabers and defending their Master against Assassin, the family were gunned down by his Nazi allies. Archer followed his oriental Master shortly thereafter, courtesy of Avenger.

The next were the Matous, who fell after a surgical strike to their still under- construction Workshop in an inconspicuous building set atop one of Fuyuki's Leylines. It was where Caster died amidst burning Crestworms and flames.

Zouken Matou, the walking husk of a family head, had been the toughest obstacle yet, getting in Darnic's way at nearly every turn thereafter. Darnic had taken much pleasure when he tracked down and left him nothing more than a single worm, desperately crawling away for his life. Darnic let him get away to wallow and rot in his failure of stopping the Nazi's theft of the Grail.

The Tohsaka clan fell next. With careful negotiation and planning, the Dioland Magus, Master of Assassin, successfully assassinated the Tohsaka Master. Though there was a hiccup in the Rider Class incarnating from his fallen Master's Command Seals, he eventually fell fighting one of the Edelfelt Sabers. During the chaos, the clan were brought to near extinction by the work of himself and the Nazis. That naive fool of a Master Dioland died too, killed by the dying Tohsaka Magus's spell. His near death Assassin was tracked down and ended by Lancer's blade.

Though seemingly the strongest force in the Grail War, the Edelfelt duo's strained sibling relationship proved to be their downfall. Their disagreements led to one abandoning her sister to die after one of their Sabers fell to the Tohsaka Rider and the remaining Saber being burnt to a crisp by the Einzbern Witch.

All of these events lead to now. Missing his left arm and crushed underneath the burning wreckage of a transport plane. His anger boiled as he recalled the deception of the Einzberns.

He had been lead to believe that the non-combative, reclusive Einzberns had, in their desperation, enlisted the assistance of some unknown Oriental welp to aid as their Master representative after the failures of the previous two Grail Wars.

Over the course of the War, he had been lead to believe that the Einzberns had only modified their Berserker Servant to an extra class, Avenger. That this modified Servant was Jeanne D' Arc, born again from the flames that incinerated her as an avenging witch of fire.

He had believed that the act of foul play the Einzberns had made were foolish, for this Avenger Class Servant lacked any discernible traits making it better than a Berserker Class Servant. Such an assumption was reaffirmed when the Einzberns reared up a small army of combat Homunculi. An effort Darnic and his Lancer had believed were to make up for their lackluster Master representative and Avenger. He had laughed when, for most of the Grail War, the other 5 Masters targeted the Einzberns for their army of combat Homunculi.

In spite of the seemingly insurmountable odds, both Einzbern Master representative and Avenger fought well, surviving while Darnic took his opportunities and struck the other Masters while their guards were down.

The Einzbern stratagem of coordinating Combat Homunculi to fight alongside Avenger and using any Homunculi casualties to give more power to her Noble Phantasm earned Darnic's begrudging respect as a Magus.

It was in the closing days of this Grail War that Lancer had figured out an overarching deception throughout the Grail War.

Ever so elusive, Darnic had tried his best to track down the slippery Master of Avenger for the purpose of assassinating him after learning of that Master's lack of magic talent. Always a step ahead of his Nazi and Yggdemillenia aligned spies, that Master always slipped out of his reach. In some extreme cases, the spies he sent after the Master were found dead, their wounds completely mundane, giving no hints as to how they were dealt with.

It had frustrated Darnic to no end. Then, one day Lancer came to the conclusion that the Master of Avenger was a Servant himself. The Yggdemillenia clan head had scoffed at first, a Servant summoning and commanding other Servants? Ridiculous! Oh how he had been so wrong…

In one of the next encounters with Avenger and his Master, it was revealed in Darnic's Master Vision that his Servant's hypothesis was true! That the true Einzbern Master was the Homunculus assistant that stood beside this Oriental 'Master' and this 'Master' was the true Avenger of the Third Grail War.

He retreated and readjusted his plans accordingly, managing to separate this Servant from his Master. It would've all been perfect in fulfilling his plans of stealing the Grail. The Nazi Occult Society members stealing the Grail unhindered after Zouken's incapacitation, him killing the true Master of Avenger, and his Lancer keeping the false Avenger and her Servant Master occupied.

Darnic's amber eyes trailed down to the stump of a left arm and he remembered, the cackle of a THIRD Avenger Class Servant. When Darnic approached the seemingly vulnerable Einzbern Master, this third Avenger Class Servant came down in a blast of black lightning, annihilating Darnic's henchmen in the blink of the eye and hacking off Darnic's left arm. The cackling Servant kept the Darnic's right arm, where his Command Seals were engraved, intact just to mock the Yggdmillennia clan head.

The situation had forced Darnic to burn the second Command Seal to call for his Lancer to save him, the first having been used when he was pushed into a corner when finding out the true nature of the Matou family head.

The failed Einzbern assassination lead him to panic, fleeing to the already leaving Nazis who had succeeded in their heist. But, with the final Master and Servant pair still living, the transport plane he and the Greater Grail were on were shot down.

Fast forward to now, the rubble crushing him was lifted effortlessly by Darnic's blond haired Servant who then helped his injured Master up.

Screams could be heard as soldiers were cut down and burned by the Avenger Class Servants and their Combat Homunculi.

After the screams came to a stop, the flames ahead parted, revealing a trio of figures approaching the duo of Lancer and his Master.

In the center of this approaching trio was the black haired, blue eyed Oriental who masqueraded as the Einzbern Master, the true Avenger Class Servant of the Grail War. Flanking him were the two additional Servants he had summoned. To his right, the ebony Witch of Orleans, Jeanne D'Arc, and to his left, the cackling Count of Monte Cristo.

Those deep blue eyes bore into Darnic's amber orbs. Blood was rushing into Darnic's ears as he glared back at Avenger's impassive gaze. That look reminded the head of Yggdemillenia so much of the clan that had turned their backs on him. The ones that had mocked him for his bloodline. The ones that had manipulated him, leaking information of an experiment and leading the Yggdmillennia into a spiral of ruination with a 'coincidental' lab accident that killed his clan's heir.

The indifference of Avenger's eyes were the same as the Mages' back then. Like them, Avenger had manipulated him, fooling him into thinking that he was Darnic's pawn when in reality, Darnic was Avenger's pawn the entire time.

The meticulous planning. The assassinations. They all played to the Einzbern's favor. Every fiber of Darnic's being grew more and more angry as the realization of the Einzbern's successful deception and breaking of the Grail War's balance set in.

His breathing came heavily now as he stepped away from Lancer's support. The rage boiling over as the two Avenger Class Servants summoned to aid their blue eyed Servant Master took defensive positions. As the two readied for the final battle of the Grail War against Darnic's Lancer Class Servant, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Darnic allowed that built up anger to manifest in a yell. A yell that cursed the name of the Servant that had so cleverly manipulated him,

"RITSUKA FUJIMARU!"

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Servant Class- Avenger

Alignment- Neutral Good

True Name- Ritsuka Fujimaru

Parameters:

Strength- D

Endurance- C

Agility- D

Mana- C

Luck- A

NP- EX

Class Skills-

Avenger: B

The hatred of his enemies causes them to lose focus while Avenger only gains a higher advantage in strategy and combat.

Oblivion Correction: D

Though the memories still linger of pain, resentment, and loss, Ritsuka's unnaturally forgiving nature doesn't allow for such memories to consume him, hence its low ranking.

Self Replenishment (Mana): B

Unlike others of his class, the endless surge of Mana fueling his existence is not one fueled by hatred, but by an unyielding sense of duty and determination lacking in true hatred for one's enemy.

Personal Skills-

?: A

?: A

?: D

Magecraft: D

A periphery knowledge of Magecraft and how to use it. User is capable of a small repertoire of basic spells such as Hypnosis, Bounded Field creation and manipulation, Structural Analysis, and Reinforcement. Due to priorities taken in life, the ranking is low with spells such as Hypnosis being incapable of enchanting a skilled Mage.

?: C

?: E-A

Veneer of Powerlessness: B

A skill bestowed onto the user due to the reputation and image crafted into most of their enemies within the Servant's legend. The skill manifests as a subtle aura that, when in effect, conceals the user's status and Parameters as a Servant from adversaries similar in effect to Presence Concealment. Upon the opponent suspecting or realizing the user's status as a Servant, this skill is nullified.

Noble Phantasms-

?

Rank- EX

Type- Anti Army

A Noble Phantasm that allows for Ritsuka Fujimaru to summon Servants outside of the Grail War's System. More than a single Servant can be summoned, though Mana costs will exponentially increase with each successive Servant manifested. It isn't recommended to summon more than a single Servant at a time. Due to Class constraints, the Noble Phantasm is only capable of summoning Servants under the same class as Ritsuka Fujimaru. However, this restriction is partially lifted when Ritsuka is summoned under an Extra Class.

?

Rank- C

Type- Anti Personnel (1 Target)

?

Rank- E-D

Type- Anti Personnel (1-5 Targets)

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**Author's Notes**

**This is a plot bunny that sat in my head for a while now. A scenario wherein Ritsuka is summoned as a Servant after ascending the Throne after the events of FGO Pt. 1 and 2. For this scenario, Ritsuka is summoned as the Avenger Class Servant of the Third Holy Grail War. Using his Noble Phantasm, he summoned Jeanne D' Arc and later Edmond Dantes due to Ritsuka's specialty not lying in combat, but summoning and coordinating Servants as his Noble Phantasm and Personal Skills imply (the details of which will be revealed in later chapters).**

**The plot bunny was invoked in part due to my fascination of the Third Holy Grail War. There are just so many pieces ranging from Fate Apocrypha, Stay Night, HA, and Strange Fake that one can use to piece together a rather interesting story.**

**The Tohsaka, Einzberns, and Matous were established as constants in all the Grail Wars. The Matous in decline while the Einzberns cheated the system, replacing Berserker with Avenger.**

**The Tohsakas were probably a full blown clan that specialized in Eastern Magic due to the Jewelcraft being introduced by an Edelfelt marrying into the Tohsakas post Third Grail War. Darnic probably crushed them and left them on the brink of dying out with his actions during the Grail War.**

**Darnic has been established as participating in the Third Grail War with Apocrypha, his Servant Fionn, being revealed in flashbacks. In Stay Night timelines I assume that since Avenger was taken out so early he made a misstep that caused his plans to be revealed to Zouken at a bad time (might have something to do with the Einzbern Homunculus being the Lesser Grail and one of Darnic's Grand Theft Auto Grail plans had something to do with using her) and without certain external Einzbern things going on that deep into the Grail War, he got taken out by Zouken.**

**The Edelfelts were emulated by Angra Mainyu in the form of Sakura and Rin playing their roles with normal and Alter Saber in Fate HA. They used their Magic Crest trait to split their Saber into two aspects of themselves (I hypothesize that their Saber may be Charlemagne and Karl der Grobe due to how he is in Extella).**

**The details regarding the Master of Assassin are spread out between Fate HA and Fate Strange Fake. In Strange Fake there have been mentions of how Faldeus Dioland had an ancestor that participated in the Third Holy Grail War and how Faldeus's summoning room is full of puppets implicates who this ancestor was and how he/she operated. HA details how the midget Hassan with Zabaniya: Cyber Phantasy had been puppeteered by his Master to make for a unique enemy.**

**Finally the Sayjous. There were no mentions of them being involved with the Third Grail War but I had an empty slot I needed to fill so I just slapped them in and had them getting annihilated by the Nazis on Darnic's orders. Since Manaka is an obsessive over King Arthur, they probably would use a piece of the Round Table in hopes of summoning King Arthur.**

**Hypothetical Third Grail Holy Grail War Servant Lineup (w/o Avenger or Ruler)**

**Saber: Charlemagne & Karl De Grobe**

**Lancer: Fionn Mac Cumhaill**

**Archer: Tristan**

**Caster: Paracelsus**

**Rider: Perseus**

**Assassin: Midget Hassan (AKA Cyber Phantasy Hassan/ Bad Touch Exploding Gunpowder Hassan)**

**Leave feedback and plot suggestions in the Reviews. Guesses on what Ritsuka's Personal skills and Noble Phantasms are also welcomed. **

**Regarding my other two fanfics, the chapters are in the works. Just hit a creative roadblock and classes are starting up.**


	3. Chapter 3: Saber of the Fourth

**All Characters belong to their respective owners**

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**Summary: In which Ritsuka rolls a snowball down a hill.**

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The feeling of the seaside waters was refreshing and unique to the sheltered Homunculus named Irisviel Von Einzbern. It was as she gazed towards the moon that she recalled the fun day she had as her first day in Japan.

Recalling them, however, brought a certain bitterness as she felt such a day would have been more complete if Kiritsugu and Illya could have accompanied her.

"Is there something wrong, Irisviel?" Crimson eyes glanced back to the beach as she met the gaze of her blue eyed companion.

"No, there isn't anything wrong, Ritsuka." replied the Einzbern, "walking through a new town with a gentleman friend was fun!"

The blue eyed Japanese named Ritsuka had a surprised expression on his face, "A gentleman, me? No… there are better people than I who would've fit the role of gentlemanly friend better."

She denied that statement, "No, you were absolutely perfect" taking a few more steps in the water, she continued, "A knight in shining armor, I would say, befitting of the Saber Class."

Ritsuka's response was flustered, "No, no. I feel that such an image doesn't suit someone as ordinary as me." A look of annoyance took over his face, as he subtly turned to an empty spot beside him, "_Please stop laughing, Saber." _

Turning around and glimpsing Ritsuka, Irisviel thought to herself, "_He's as humble as the day he was first summoned" _Looking back at the moon Irisviel asked her male companion, "Ritsuka, do you like the ocean?"

There was a pause before Ritsuka answered, "I am… indifferent to it." His voice took on a nostalgic tone, "In my early life, I never thought much of it because of it, being such a commodity then. But when I took up my job in Chaldea, the ocean merely turned into one of many backdrops for the innumerable number of quests I had taken; all of which brought some measure of life threatening danger."

The Homunculus's expression turned crestfallen, "I am sorry. Even though you were just a normal person, you were dragged into the troubles of the Moonlit World. Confined in Antarctica, and only experiencing the world as a battlefield."

Ritsuka promptly responded, attempting to reassure his female charge, "It wasn't all that bad. Despite how dangerous my journey had been, it was still… fun. Having friends to watch my back, confide in, and celebrate with made the dangers I encountered all worth it."

The content look on Irisviel returned, but the man still discerned that something was weighing the usually childish and carefree woman down, "There is something nagging you, isn't there?" crimson orbs made eye contact with blue ones as the man continued, "You would've been much more happy if you could have travelled the town with Kiritsugu, right?"

Irisviel took on a distant look, "I couldn't. It would be a painful memory for him."

Ritsuka made a sound of understanding, but after the image of an orange haired man surfaced, he challenged the woman, "'Life is a pilgrimage in which we stockpile suffering'" Irisviel head tilted back to her companion, "but, along that suffering comes joy. One cannot be without the other and it would only be more painful if one were to deny their own happiness, especially when that time of parting arrives. There would only be more regrets, a life unfulfilled then."

Turning to address Irisviel directly Ritsuka continued, "Your lifespan is limited, I know. That pain from the inevitable separation of death hangs over you along with the fear of hurting Kiritsugu even more if you were to spend time with him. But, do you think it would hurt Kiritsugu even more, after you've passed, if he were to look back and regret not being able to walk the town, try local cuisine, and walk across a beach together?" The words at the tip of the Homunculus's tongue died in her throat, Irisviel taking a moment to digest the words spoken by her Servant.

Suddenly turning to look inland, Ritsuka began walking over to Irisviel. Seeing his gaze honed into the distance as he approached, Irisviel inquired, "An enemy Servant?"

Ritsuka nodded, "100 meters away from us; in the shadows" Irisviel took his gloved right hand, walking back to dry land, "It seems to be a call of challenge to Saber." Ritsuka's blue eyes seem to hone in on an empty spot on the beach.

Internally, Irisviel was a tad disappointed at being reminded of the setup Kiritsugu organized. She thought that she would've had a bit more fun if the Saber Ritsuka had summoned had accompanied them, "_But with this, it would help Kiritsugu succeed in the war," _the Homunculus thought. Still, Ritsuka's words echoed in her head. "_As things were, now, would it be more painful for Kiritsugu?"_

Filing those thoughts away, she focused on the situation at hand, "How chivalrous, they want us to decide on the field of battle. Shall we accept their invitation?"

After sharing a look with the astralized Saber, Ritsuka turned to Irsiviel and nodded, "Gladly."

As the group walked, leading the unknown Servant on, Irisviel recalled the day that Ritsuka had been summoned.

There had been disappointment and trepidation. Disappointment at failing to summon King Arthur with what was supposed to be the best catalyst for such a feat, and trepidation at both the prospects of winning the Grail War, and how Jubstacheit, the elder of the Einzberns, would react to such a failure.

The Asian young man in modern clothing that stood at the center of the Summoning Circle was a Servant through and through, that she could perceive as the vessel for the Grail, yet the aura he gave off said otherwise. There wasn't any sort of pressure that would be exuded by a higher being like a Servant. In fact, his presence was more akin to Kiritsugu or herself. Saber was indistinguishable from a normal human.

Kiritsugu had beckoned the young man to follow him as he went to talk to the Einzbern elder. The fear that Kiritsugu carried was picked up by Irisviel as she watched the backs of the two men leave the chapel.

It was the day after that Kiritsugu came back to his wife with a smile on his face. It was then that she sensed a second Servant signature, one not like the young man she had seen the day before. That Servant signature stood side by side with the first.

At seeing her confusion, Kiritsugu explained to his wife the unique, balance breaking properties that the Saber of this Grail War had.

Ritsuka Fujimaru was a Heroic Spirit from the future. Such Heroic Spirits were rare and they suffered from a distinct weakness in low Mystery. On the surface, he was inferior stats wise, but within Ritsuka was authority over a Noble Phantasm that could summon full powered Servants. The Noble Phantasm that manifested as an armored briefcase Saber called "Amicizia: Vessel of Friendships". Within stored the Saint Graph cores of an innumerable amount of Servants who the man had befriended in life.

Ritsuka was a normal human through and through. His feats were accomplished by being an effective field commander who masterfully coordinated his Servants in combat. It was because of this, that he was a Saber in the loosest of terms. The weapons at his disposal, as Kiritsugu had put it, were the Servants he made use of in combat. Under the Servant Vessel of Saber, those he could bring forth into the world could only be of the Saber Class.

This limitation was of no concern to Kiritsugu. With how modern Ritsuka was, he would have a little less qualms following Kiritsugu's strategies in the Grail War. Alongside that, access to summoning and commanding Servants while concealing his status as a Servant with his "Veneer of Powerlessness" made Ritsuka the perfect decoy Master who could defend himself against attacks from enemy Masters while Kiritsugu himself dealt with the said Masters from the shadows.

It was why both Ritsuka and herself were in such a setup. She would act as Ritsuka's Homunculus aid over the course of the Grail War while Ritsuka paraded himself as the Master of Saber.

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Irisviel and Ritsuka walked down an empty road within the docks. Their footsteps echoing.

A male voice spoke aloud, one familiar to Irisviel which came as a shock, "You did well to make it here. While you paraded around town today, everyone else stayed within, fortifying their defenses." Out from the shadows, a man with swept back hair appeared, wielding a spear in each hand.

A smile crept onto Ritsuka's face as he eyed the Servant that continued to speak, "Only you had the valor to answer my challenge" Said Servant was still talking to the still astralized Saber, "Such a pure fighting spirit. Am I right to presume that your Servant's class is Saber?"

Ritsuka's response was immediate, gesturing with his gloved right hand, the glove covering the back of his hand, "That'd be correct. And I would be right to assume that you are Lancer?"

Lancer confirmed this as he made his proclamation, "Yes. And now I deplore you to reveal your Saber, so that we can duel as Servants of the Knight Class should!"

A cheshire smile spread on Ritsuka's face, "If you insist. Come forth, Saber!"

Shock took hold of Lancer as Saber manifested. In the shadows above among metal crates, Kayneth choked as he looked down at the docks below.

The Saber who manifested was a doppelganger of Lancer. No, that wouldn't be accurate. The Saber that stood before Lancer was a version of Diarmuid Ua Duibne who wielded his two famed demonic swords, _Moralltach_ and _Beagalltach_. In contrast, the Lancer too, was Diarmuid, but wielded the demonic spears _Gae Dearg_ and _Gae Buidhe_. Complementing their armaments were sets of armor that gave a sense of how one another fought. Wielding more close quarters weapons and being a single rank slower in speed than his Lancer counterpart, Saber wore more armor and held a slightly stockier physique.

Lancer, in contrast, donned a light, form fitting outfit that only had a lone left shoulder plate as hard protection. The light amount of armor served the purpose of increasing the Servant's speed. With his slightly slimmer form, the Lancer was built to quickly deal precision strikes, rather than Saber's more muscular form built for dishing out power strikes.

Savoring the surprised look from Lancer, Ritsuka refocused and advised Saber, "Be careful Saber, Irisviel can only support you with healing Magecraft" switching to their telepathic link, Ritsuka continued, "_And I, enhance your fighting capabilities with 'Royal Brand'" _

Saber let his signature, confident smile grace his lips, "With your support, I can easily take on my counterpart. Though his Master has yet to appear; I advise you to keep your guard up."

Making eye contact with Irisviel before turning back to Saber, Ritsuka nodded, "Acknowledged, Saber. Now bring me victory!"

"I shall" Declared the Servant.

Displacing concrete with Mana Burst '(Leap)', Saber cleared the distance between him and his Lancer counterpart, the signal for the skirmish to begin.

Ritsuka took a brief glance behind him, finding Irisviel focusing on the battle itself and not on Lancer Diarmuid's face "_Good on her". _Refocusing on the battle, Ritsuka eyed his chance to take command and coordinate Saber.

* * *

A fist banged against the metal crate behind him. The Master of Lancer, Kayneth Archibald El Melloi, clearly displayed emotions of rage and fear in his eyes and face at the events unfolding before him.

The first emotion, rage. What horrible luck to summon Diarmuid as a Lancer and the Einzberns summoning Diarmuid as a Saber! He had aimed at summoning Diarmuid as Saber himself, and to now see the prize he was aiming for in the hands of the enemy? Truly infuriating! Was it even possible to summon the same Servant in different classes in the same Holy Grail War?! Not to mention how this messed with both his and the Einzbern positions in the war. Revealing either Saber or Lancer would result in both of their Servant identities to be revealed to the rest of the Grail War participants, putting both at a disadvantage. Would he have to stoop to allying himself with a clan that went so far as to hire Orientals to win this competition?!

Then there was the second emotion, fear. Even from the eyes of someone unfamiliar with the nuances of armed combat, Kayneth Archibald El Melloi knew that his Servant was losing. How humiliating would it be for Lord El Melloi to pull out of the Grail War after the second day?! Especially when he had been cheated out of summoning his intended Servant, Iskander, by an anonymous thief!

The thought of the likelihood of losing was something that raced through Lancer's head too, as he did his best to block, redirect, and dodge his Saber counterpart's relentless onslaught.

It was supposed to be a duel based around a deception that banked on the assumption that only a single one of his spears were his real Noble Phantasm. That deception bringing forth the most ideal circumstance of him striking down his adversary either in a single decisive blow with _Gae Dearg_ or letting their strength bleed out with unhealable wounds from _Gae Buidhe. _

Such a circumstance was completely thrown out of the window with his adversary knowing how his weapons functioned. Diarmuid was a hero whose most destructive weapons lay in his swords, his spears always taking on a more supporting role in combat. Limited by his class and armaments, it was clear that the advantage of better weapons lay in his Saber twin.

It was during a furious exchange of blows that Lancer slipped up. From the destruction wrought upon the environment, there were a number of crevices and rubble scattered on the battlefield. Lancer's foot stumbled when a piece of ground gave as collateral from Saber's powerful swings. Taking full advantage of such a blunder, Saber Diarmuid sped forth, something in his Saber counterpart's eyes drawing Lancer's focus for a brief millisecond as he hastily pulled together a guard to intercept Saber's blows.

Boots skid on the ground as Lancer regained his bearings, a hand holding close a bloody gash that ran down from his right shoulder down to his left upper pelvis. Feeling the blood trickle, Lancer looked at his counterpart. A few small cuts had made its way across his body from the exchange, nothing debilitating though. Slowly, he could feel the gash begin to mend itself from his Master's support. The little damage he had dealt to his counterpart instantly vanished at once. "_What Saber received were minor wounds at best, but this… if I took this hit from Moralltach I would've surely been done for. Still…" _

Meeting eyes, Lancer spoke, "So your Master enhanced your abilities didn't he, in that brief moment."

A smile on his counterpart's face contrasted Lancer's more collected expression, "That he did." The Servant of the Spear's eyes drifted over to Ritsuka, who had his arm outstretched, some sort of perception enhancement spell, no doubt casted on his Servant.

With the pause in combat, Saber spoke, "It is a shame that we can't be summoned with the skill of _Double Summon_. Wielding _Gae Dearg _and _Gae Buidhe _is rather cumbersome, and the way I'm fighting now isn't the most ideal, lacking in the range that our Spears would've given me."

Lancer gave a bitter chuckle, "That's something I wholeheartedly agree, we are the same person after all."

Saber took a ready stance, observing that the wound he had dealt to his Spear wielding counterpart was mostly healed, "Right. Now then, Lancer, I'll be sure to make this final bout our last"

Silently, Lancer readied himself. Internally, the Servant of the Spear was nervous, "_Will Lord El Melloi force me to retreat? There was still pride in falling in battle, even if he was against a version of himself with superior armaments." _The blades of _Moralltach_ and _Beagalltach_ glowed, signifying both weapons' being ready to be used at their strongest potential. Lancer followed with _Gae Dearg _and _Gae Buidhe_.

Plans for maneuvers were already forming rapidly in Lancer's head. Though his Saber self lacked Eye of the Mind (True), with direct support from his Master, there was no way that Lancer could avoid this blow. There was no way that Lancer could match his Saber self's speed when the latter was using his Mana Burst (Leap), so the Servant of the Spear concluded he would have to block this strike head on and somehow make a counter attack if he was to have a chance of winning.

A pause took over in the battlefield, eyes meeting. Then the sound of breaking cement as both twin Servants were about to meet one another's charge. But then, lightning exploded between the two as a chariot drawn by two bulls trampled across the battlefield, forcing Lancer and Saber to break off their engagements.

"ALALALALALALALAY!" came the battle cry of Rider, atop his chariot.

"A chariot!" exclaimed Irisviel.

"_Within projections" _thought Ritsuka as he took a protective stance in front of Irisviel.

Coming to a stop in between the previously fighting Servants, the rider of the chariot, a giant of a man donning Greco Roman esque armor under a flowing fur topped crimson cape raised his arms up, exclaimed to all nearby, "Sheathe your swords! You are in the presence of royalty!" Seeing that both Servants' attentions were on him, the Servant of the Mount continued, "I am Iskander, King of Conquerors, brought forth to fight in this Holy Grail War as Rider!"

The audacity of this newcomer stunned all into silence. Although, the now identified Rider Class Servant Iskander noticed that Saber and his Master didn't seem as stunned by his proclamation as all the others. The former seemed to have a look of disappointment and acceptance and the latter a sheepish grin, as if he were embarrassed for Iskander.

Raising an eyebrow, the King of Conquerors contemplated whether or not to point this out when the whining voice of his Master beside him cried out, "What are you thinking, you moron!" Flicking the boy's forehead silenced him.

With his Master whimpering in the background, Iskander continued, "Of course, I am your enemy in the battle for the Holy Grail but first, I ask of you both: Would you consider surrendering yourselves and acquising the Grail to me? Do so and I shall welcome you as allies! Follow me, and you shall know the thrills of world domination!"

Lancer was the first to answer Iskander's audacious question, "I'm afraid I must decline. I made a pact to deliver the Grail to none other than my new lord, who summoned me here." The Servant of the Spear's gaze turned into a glare, "And you are not he, Rider!"

Saber followed his spear wielding twin, "The same can be said for me." His gaze narrowed, "You have also seen fit to interrupt my duel with Lancer. As a Knight, that is a grave insult!"

"I had thought that because both of you were summoned in different classes one would join..." Iskander muttered. He then spoke aloud, "You know, I can make it worthwhile-"

"Enough!" cut both Lancer and Saber.

"It appears negotiations have broken down. Damn, what a shame" Genuine disappointment colored Iskander's voice.

Flustered at his Servant's antics, the Master of Rider exploded, "Rider!" seeing that he was ignored, the angry and embarrassed Master tugged on his tall Servant's cape, "Listen you-"

A voice interrupted the boy, "I see. It was you, of all people," immediately, the Master of Rider stiffened upon recognizing the voice that echoed around him.

There was an edge to Kayneth's voice as said voice echoed all around the dock, "I was wondering who would be mad enough to steal my summoning relic but never did I expect you to have the guts to enter the Holy Grail War yourself, Waver Velvet" the Clocktower lecturer spat the name with venom.

Panic set in on Waver as he clung tightly to Iskander's cloak while Kayneth continued, more anger apparent in his voice, "But this is quite convenient. It's the perfect chance to impart a special lesson unto you. You will learn what it means for two mages to fight to the death. You will be thoroughly familiar with all the fear and pain that it entails. You should feel honored."

There was a hardness to Iskander's gaze as he rose in defense of his identified Master, "You there, Mage! It sounds as though you were intending to be my Master instead of this boy! Let me say, the mere idea makes me ill! Only the man with the courage to stand beside me on the battlefield is fit to be my Master!" Lancer's hand tightened on his polearm as Iskander continued, "A coward, too afraid to show his face, is not fit for the role!"

Kayneth's teeth clenched as his anger exploded, "Insolent familiar, how dare you talk down to me! On top of having Saber dangled in front of my eyes like some piece of meat, you have the gall to parade yourself and insult me?! Both you and your imbecile of a Master are dead! I promise you that even your souls won't come out intact when I'm through with the both of you!"

Waver shrunk and began to hyperventilate as Iskander merely laughed, pointedly turning from Kayneth's furious tirade, he spoke to the presently manifested Knight Classes, "Ignoring that coward... the rest of you! I know you are hiding in the darkness, spying on us!" Lancer made to speak, but found his Saber counterpart relaxed, yet there was some tense focus in his eyes as he looked in the direction of a nearby lamp post.

Iskander's voice boomed, "Heroes summoned by the Grail, let us gather! And to those too paralyzed by fear to show your faces, know that Iskander, King of Conquerors, holds you in utter contempt!"

The sound of clanking and the magic particles coalescing in solid form heralded the appearance of a blonde man in golden armor.

Snakelike crimson eyes bore into those present as the newly arrived man spoke, "So, a lesser being dares to name themselves king in my royal presence"

Genuine confusion was on Rider's face as he responded to the unnamed Archer Class Servant's challenging statement, "I fail to see where the problem lies, Servant. For I am Iskander, the legendary King of Conquerors known throughout the world"

The gold armored man dismissed Iskander, "What nonsense, I am the one true king of the world. All others are mongrels, pretenders to the name"

A challenging glint manifested in the burly red haired Rider, "If you are that insistent to your claim, why not name yourself? No true king would be troubled by something so simple as giving his name to those he wishes to challenge."

Irritated by the ignorance of Rider, an aura of danger was felt from all present as the red eyed man spoke, "So you would question me, you filthy mongrel? Me, the one true king?" His golden metal boots cracked and broke the internals of the street light he stood upon, "If you cannot now discern my identity in the presence of my magnificent glory, then your ignorant blindness will serve to seal your doom!"

Portals opened, weaponry- Noble Phantasms- peeking from within the golden glow. As each weapon took aim at those around, a voice cut through the tension, "We have only been rendered speechless by the glory of your presence, oh mighty King of Heroes."

Shock took over both Lancer and Rider as information from the Grail flooded their minds on precisely who the golden man was.

As the two Servants processed the information, the identified King of Heroes turned towards the mostly silent Master of Saber, "Hoh? So a mongrel that lives in this present era recognizes me?"

The previously simple black haired commoner in the King of Hero's eyes radiated a different light as the young man answered back to the Servant, the subtle head tilt and lack of eye contact noticed by all present, "How could I not, King of Uruk? Who else would radiate such an aura and wield dominance over the awesome might of the _Gate of Babylon_? A vault of treasures whose versatility and might was only matched by the countless constructs generated by the _Chains of Heaven _and only surpassed by deities at the peak of the Age of Gods."

Waver's panic increased as he finally recognized who would hold the titles of King of Uruk and King of Heroes. There were words that Irisviel wanted to speak to her companion but the Homunculus held her silence as Ritsuka finished his speech, "Any thief can wear golden armor but the unquestionable authority and power of a King will be sure to illuminate one's identity."

A thoughtful look came upon Archer's face as he looked down at Ritsuka beneath, "Perhaps I've misjudged the mongrels of this era." the King of Uruk's head tilted, a lazy gaze pointed at the brute named Iskander, "The fact that a man of this era could identify me by a single glimpse at my Gate shows the depths of your ignorance and ineptitude, pretender."

The surprised Rider clumsily put together a defense, "I wouldn't say that, King of Uruk. Your legend was more than 2,000 years before my time. But to have someone of your exalted status join me in conquest, surely we would conquer the stars themselves!" Gilgamesh's face scrunched in anger as Rider made eye contact with the presumed Master of Saber, "And to you, boy, your knowledge could benefit me well in strategy and negotiation. What do both of you say to joining my army?"

Ritsuka scratched the back of his head as he responded to Iskander, "I wouldn't hold myself to such high praise." The smile dropped as he continued, "besides, there are people I know who wouldn't take too kindly to me joining the ranks of your _Hetairoi._"

Disappointment and surprise came to Iskander as he grew suspicious at the young man's not- so- obvious reference to Iskander's Reality Marble. The lack of surprise from both the Japanese man and his Saber came to the forefront of the Conqueror's head but had to be suppressed as Gilgamesh answered Iskander's ridiculous proposal, "The depths of your insolence continue to astound and amuse me, but there is only one man who I consider my true companion. A loud pretender is the furthest thing from him."

Previously, the Gates of Babylon had some stray portals pointed directly at both Lancer and Saber, but all were now aimed at Iskander. Waver was sure that he peed himself as he quietly repeated to himself, "I'm so dead, I'm so dead…" Iskander silently stood over his young Master, prepared to summon _Ionian Hetairoi _at an instant if things escalated that far. "_Truly, this will be an arduous campaign." _

A howl from an explosion of dark fog sounded the appearance of Berserker, who promptly leapt at the Gilgamesh's golden form, surprise coloring his face. Things grew into a mess as the three (minus Assassin and true Saber Class Servant) Servants present fought the howling mad Servant.

* * *

Location: Tohsaka Mansion

Tokiomi quietly paced back and forth in his office. This second night of the Grail War had gone so wrong after the successful ploy of the first. Though now all knew of the identity of Rider as Iskander, and it being all but verbally confirmed that Saber and Lancer were one in the same person, Archer, his Servant, had his identity lifted immediately by Iskander's challenge and the unknown Einzbern aid. "_The document said the Einzberns only enlisted the help of that Heretic Kiritsugu!" _

Gritting his teeth, an uncharacteristic breaking of his carefully cultivated image of gracefullness, he walked down to his mansions' cellar, already composing a letter in his head which he would send to the Kotomine Church through his Jewelcraft invention. A request of his apprentice to pull as many resources and _Assassins _to research and eventually eliminate the Japanese man.

As the door to his office closed, Gilgamesh materialized. Opening Tokiomi's stash of alcohol, the Archer Class Servant poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip. Ignoring the sub par drink, a smirk graced the demigod's lips as he took amusement in his Master's flustered appearance.

Naturally, the King of Hero's thoughts drifted to the unnamed commoner who had unveiled his identity to the rest of the Grail War participants. It was a shame that he didn't order the man to give him his name after the _mad dog_ showed up and accosted the King.

The words he had spoken to that man echoed within him. Yes, perhaps his initial impressions on this disgusting modern world's inhabitants were wrong if a perceptive, and dare he say, wise, Servant were to rise above to the rank of Heroic Spirit. Despite not meeting the commoner's eyes in the harbor, he could recognize a steel befitting a fellow Servant.

Finishing his drink and setting the glass on the table, Gilgamesh ruminated on both the duo of annoyances, Rider and Berserker, and the oddity of the Grail War, that unidentified Servant Master.

* * *

Location: MacKenzie Residence

"Rider! Why did you have to make enemies out of Archer!" Pushing at the stalwart bulk of his red haired Servant to no avail, Waver continued, "H-he's Gilgamesh, the oldest recorded hero. His level of Mystery towers over yours!" his eyes grew watery at the thought of his odds at winning in the Holy Grail War.

In a flash, Waver was backhanded by his dismissive Servant. The Clock Tower student painfully landed against a wall, a groan escaping his lips. Blearily, he righted himself as Iskander spoke, "Quiet, boy. Even with how powerful Archer is, he is not infallible as shown by Berserker, or were you too busy wallowing in despair to look?"

Waver flinched at Iskander's hardened gaze. Dropping it, Iskander inaudibly groaned, "In the heat of the moment, I forgot to ask that boy's name..." The Servant let out a sigh as he then asked his young Master, "Say, did you notice anything off with Saber's Master?"

Clutching his still throbbing head, Waver responded, "W-whatever do you mean?"

Rider clarified, "Was there anything inhuman about him? Any usage of magic throughout his talk with Gilgamesh?"

Spending a few seconds to recall, Waver came up with nothing, "Not really… I don't think he used any magic at all besides possibly when Saber was fighting Lancer"

Iskander stroked his chin as he contemplated this, "For next time, keep a close eye on Saber's Master. There is something to him, I'm sure of it!" Dropping his contemplation, the King of Conquerors opened up a nearby Magazine from a haphazard pile of books. "Say, Waver, can you buy this game for me?"

Stunned for a second from the sudden change in demeanor, Waver recovered and gave an irate response, "I'm not your errand boy!"

* * *

Location: Einzbern Mansion

A car pulled up to the Fuyuki Einzbern Mansion. A trio of Diarmuid, Ritsuka, and Irisviel stepped out of the car. The former two helped the sole female of the trio out of the car.

The taller, swept back haired man, inquired the lady, "I trust that my driving was acceptable, Lady Irisviel?"

Irisviel seemed to answer with poise and grace, "It was, my Servant Saber," suddenly, her facade of a typical lady of high status dropped with a pout, "but why didn't you let me drive?"

Ritsuka laughed in the background, "Well, we still needed to obey the traffic laws of the land. Keep in mind we aren't in the remote regions of Germany outside of normal human observation. Kiritsugu would be disappointed if we got pulled over by the authorities."

Irisviel threw a half hearted glare at her other companion, "But we could've switched drivers after we left the city, Ritsuka!"

Ritsuka merely scratched the back of his head as he attempted to come up with an answer.

In that brief moment of thinking, he made eye contact with his taller companion's amber eyes, "_Diarmuid, we CANNOT let Irisviel behind the wheel; help me out here!" _

Diarmuid gave a sheepish smile, "_I'm sorry, Master. I really can't help you in this situation. Negotiation is your specialty, not mine." _

Irisviel's voice broke the silence between the two men with an indignant tone, "Oh...! I know both of you are talking to each other telepathically, don't leave me out of your conversation!"

Ritsuka didn't immediately respond, still formulating a response to Irisviel's question. Before Ritsuka could even attempt to answer the white haired lady, Diarmuid answered, "I apologize, Lady Irisviel. Maybe next time we can let you drive the car."

Ritsuka shot his peer a wide eyed look. Irisviel beamed, "Well, I'll keep you to that, Saber!"

The taller man shot a small smile to his Master, "_What's the worst that could happen?" _

Ritsuka responded with a flat stare.

Without further things to talk about, the trio began walking to the mansion entrance at a leisurely pace.

It was during this little walk that the white haired companion gave a small giggle. "Is there something wrong, Lady Irisviel?" asked Saber.

Hand waving a bit, Irisviel responded, "No, no. It was just that I found this entire day to have been quite fun is all."

A relaxed smile came upon Ritsuka as he asked, "Any highlights, Irisviel?"

Her response was immediate, "The beach, of course!" the Einzbern stopped, before turning to look at her two male companions, "what of you two?"

Ritsuka paused, then responded, "well… it'll have to be Lancer's gobsmacked expression!" Diarmuid sighed as the Japanese continued, "and I'm guessing the highlight of the night must've been your duel with your Lancer self, right?"

Diarmuid chuckled, before responding, "That would be correct, Master. You know me too well."

Opening the door in, Ritsuka murmured loud enough for his other two companions to hear, "Although… things did get a bit dicey at the end there..." The true Saber of the Fourth Holy Grail War recalled the amount of collateral damage that occurred with Gilgamesh and Berserker's fight.

"Greetings, Lady Irisviel. You weren't harmed, I take it?" came a female's voice.

Both present men turned their attention as a short blonde woman wearing a black suit approached. Clasping her hands together, Irisviel responded, "Nothing happened to me, Artoria!"

A charming smile accompanied the identified woman's response, "I am happy to hear of this." Turning to the two men, she inquired, "Can the same be said for you two; Diarmuid, Master?"

With two affirmatives, the four began walking deeper into the Einzbern Mansion after Diarmuid closed the doors.

* * *

After meeting with Kiritsugu and his assistant, Maiya, deeper in the mansion, the now six people filed into a meeting room.

There was silence as maps were shuffled in place. After the preparations were done, the dull eyed man, Kiritsugu, began to debrief the group of cohorts on what had happened that night. It was during this that the man Ritsuka called his Master asked, "Ritsuka, why did you draw that much attention to yourself. Your _Veneer of Powerlessness _would be nullified the instant they suspected your status as a Servant. And do you have more information on the Servants encountered thus far?"

Casually, the fake Master responded, "Oh, that. Well, I only seeked to stall and appease Archer so that you could do whatever assassinations you had planned for those at the harbor. I am certain you know how foolish it would be if I had Diarmuid face Gilgamesh head on. Regarding the other Master's suspicions on what I am, I don't they will jump to the conclusion of me being a Servant that quickly. With Saber around, they'll probably think I have some sort of Mystic Eyes or something."

Pausing for a moment, Ritsuka continued, "As you may have figured out, Lancer is Diarmuid. As a Servant, he only has the range of his spears and his speed over our Saber Diarmuid. Of the Servants seen so far, he is the least threatening to us in a combat situation as our Diarmuid demonstrated during this recent Servant duel."

After getting a nod of acknowledgement from Diarmuid, Ritsuka continued, "From your debriefing, it is evident that the Assassin of this Grail War is the last of the Hashashin. Their signature technique is _Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion_. It's more a personal feature in the form of their compartmentalized soul. In life, having such a soul gave them something akin to multiple personality disorder which they worked to their advantage by developing a personality and having it master an entire repertoire of skills relating to a specific profession then making another personality to master another branch of skills. Now as a Servant, that feature has manifested into more than 80 bodies, each having slightly degraded stats but the same Presence Concealment ability and skills each of them accumulated in life. They are the perfect Servant for establishing a massive information network over a city like Fuyuki."

Kiritsugu focused hard on this worrying information, muttering to himself, "So Kirei is still in the war, and with access to such a dangerous Assassin…" Turning to Maiya, he requested, "Maiya, send out familiars and ready equipment to heighten security around the mansion." The raven haired woman silently nodded before leaving the room.

Turning back to the true Saber of the Grail War, Kiritsugu inquired, "Ritsuka, have you prepared the materials and ritual needed to strengthen Saber's Saint Graph core?"

The Servant responded, "I have, though…" taking off the glove covering his right hand, he showed to all present two markings -Command Spells-. "With the number of spells I have right now, I'll have to draw a bit of Mana directly from you if I am to complete the strengthening ritual tonight. Also, did Diarmuid's duel with Lancer drain you significantly?"

"That's fine and no, your Saint Graph Modification skill worked. There wasn't so much as a trickle from him when he was fighting." Ritsuka gave himself a relieved smile at the Magus Killer's confirmation.

"Then Saber will be able to function well enough without issues of Mana when the time comes that she shows herself to deal with Gilgamesh and Iskander." Kiritsugu agreed. Having changed the topic switched to what was the strongest Servant of the Grail War, the discussion on what strategies to employ stretching well into an hour.

* * *

Kiritsugu walked away from the meeting room, the other occupants also going their separate ways. Walking out to a balcony overlooking the woods, Kiritsugu pulled out a cigarette. Huffing out smoke, he ruminated on how this Grail War was progressing.

The daunting power of Rider and Archer easily made them the most threatening in a head on battle, but the information supplied by Ritsuka on precisely how Assassin wasn't eliminated from the Grail War from his encounter with Archer on the first night troubled him greatly. "_Kirei is still in this War. Still a threat with his Assassin. _

With his thoughts coming to his Servant, the true Saber of this war, he allowed some modicum of confidence in his victory. His capabilities made him more akin to a Caster rather than anything close to a Knight Class Servant. He had recalled before that a Servant of the Cavalry Class, specifically Caster or Assassin, would have suited him much better in a Grail War before Acht had forced him to use Avalon as his Catalyst and Saber as his Servant. He had felt genuine failure for the first time involving Magecraft then. How he had believed his hopes for winning the Grail were dashed when summoning a physically feeble Servant. He had been wrong.

A rare smile came to his scruffy face. A smile that fell off when the sound of footsteps approached from behind. He turned and addressed the person, "Maiya, you have finished your objective."

In her regular, cold manner, Maiya responded, "Affirmative. I've released a batch of familiars and their cameras on the mansion grounds. Additional cameras have been set and linked up to your laptop, Kiritsugu."

Kiritsugu nodded to himself before snuffing out the cigarette. He turned to face her as he walked back inside the mansion, "Good. dismissed."

As he walked past, Maiya asked, "We won't be doing 'that' tonight?"

Closing his eyes, Kiritsugu answered, "No, no we won't" '_Not ever again'_ he had wanted to say aloud. Inside, he recalled the look of disgust from Ritsuka when he had found out the affair and took Kiritsugu to the side, out of earshot or sight of Irisviel, before the older Japanese man had left for Japan. When told of his statement- no, excuse- for having the affair, he had been punched.

The strike to the face knocked him to the ground, and Ritsuka's rant, 'What a pathetic way to cope! Talk to her, spend time with her. Anything but doing -this. What would make Irisviel happy before you part ways? Distancing yourself away from her before she leaves this world, devoid of experience outside of this castle in the middle of nowhere? What would make YOU happy? How would you want to remember Irisviel? As the fleeting snowflake only watching you from a window as you play with Illyasviel because you were too afraid of what memories would come after her death? What would Illya want of her memories of Irisviel? Time spent with your affair with Maiya could've very easily been spent with your family. All people eventually die. Families break from the passage of time; best to spend the time with them in happiness and unity. The memories of 'what could've been' hurt much more than the lasting ache of a deceased loved one. Your utilitarian ways will drown you; you'll be nothing but a husk, less than human!' His anger had petered out as he walked off, 'I have nothing more to say. If you insist on this affair then I pity Irisviel for having such a pathetic husband.'

Those words echoed in Kiritsugu's head as he walked down the opullently lit Einzbern mansion. Thoughts drifted backwards when Illya had been born, "_What could've been, if I had decided to run away with Irisviel and Illyasviel then?" _

He recalled a blurry dream he had. A product of the Dream Cycles. When he had caught a glimpse of Chaldea. The army of Heroic Spirits that gathered under Ritsuka's command. The sight of a red hooded Assassin. A him that had chosen to become a Counter Guardian because he never met Irisviel. The emptiness of his gaze. The hints of regret that tinged the state of his afterlife. '_You'll be nothing but a husk!'_

Ritsuka knew more than he let on. About everyone. As he was now, Kiritsugu lacked the confidence to speak to him. To ask him more of that Counter Guardian. Of the other Counter Guardian that manned the kitchens that was so familiar to him. Of the Illyasviel that reeked of divine power who gave pained looks to those two. The tearful Einzbern homunculus who ran from his other self's room.

"_Am I going down a similar path?" _

* * *

Both Artoria and Diarmuid walked down to the mansion courtyard, both Knight Classes taking readied positions.

Back in Chaldea, and later in the Drifting Sea, they both regularly sparred with one another. It was a routine that both enjoyed greatly.

It was right before they went for the first bout of the night, both were disturbed from their thoughts with Ritsuka mentally calling them both.

"_Something wrong, Master?" _answered both.

"_No. I just need to discuss things with you. More so with you, Artoria." _Came their Master turned Servant's voice.

As if they were talking face to face, Artoria nodded, "_Is this about the Grail War?" _

"_Yes." _He affirmed "_I need some advice on how to proceed now. After this tumultuous second night" _

Due to Artoria's designated role in this Grail War, the Servant asked, "_Before we start, how is Irisviel and Kiritsugu?"_

The question gave Ritsuka some pause before answering, "_There is progress… I can perceive it with my Discernment of the Poor, but I am unsure if it's from my words or from the dream cycle that Kiritsugu is experiencing." _

The King of Knights sighed, "_That may be the best we can do right now."_

There was an awkward silence between the two Servants which the Japanese man broke, "_... I can see why you valued your Irisviel so much. In spite of having memories of this instance's Irisviel, the Irisviel from this world is just so… innocent." _

Memories of her own experience as Saber of the Fourth Grail War came to Artoria, "_... Yeah." _

The Chaldean Master decided it was time to steer the conversation,"_Anyways, What steps should we take now?" _

Before Artoria could respond, Diarmuid spoke up, "_Allow me to cut in, Master. I believe it would be best to try and wander the town as often as possible. We may be able to 'stumble' upon Caster and his Master's work and potentially find evidence of the Grail's Corruption." _There was a minor bit of battlelust both Artoria and Ritsuka could discern from Diarmuid.

"_Yes, you and Irisviel should do that." _Artoria agreed, "_The sooner we eliminate Caster from this Grail War, the fewer casualties there will be. And if you can find anything related to the Grail by investigating Leylines under the guise of searching for Caster's workshop... Although, from what I remember, Kiritsugu forced Irisviel and I to stay behind in the mansion after the mediators called for a stop to the Grail War to hunt Caster. He stopped us so that he could hunt the other Masters hunting for Caster" _Noted Artoria with disdain.

Both Sabers could almost see Ritsuka crossing his arms and nodding along as he spoke, "_I'll keep that in mind. With how we are set up with me playing the Master of Saber and Diarmuid as the Saber of this war, I think Kiritsugu would allow me to participate in the hunt for Caster. We'll focus on Caster for now and if the opportunity presents itself to investigate the Leylines, I'll take it. We've already discussed Gilgamesh and Rider earlier tonight so I guess this meeting is adjourned." _

Recalling the meeting several minutes before, Artoria stopped Ritsuka, "_Before you go, how long before you are done with the preparations for my Saint Graph Strengthening?" _

"_Around an hour" _came the prompt response.

Cutting the line, Artoria summoned her cloaked sword to her two hands. She smiled at her fellow knight, "Well, you heard Ritsuka. We'll have an hour to spar."

Giving his characteristic smirk, Diarmuid readied himself, "Fine with me."

* * *

After having convinced Irisviel to rest, Ritsuka sat himself down before a crystal ball. It was the same ball that connected itself with the land itself allowed for the user to instantly monitor the lay of the land not unlike a mobile security room screen.

With careful instruction from Irisviel, he had learned the spell behind orb's usage. With a thought, aided by his Magecraft skill, he began a cycle where the crystal ball cycled through the various 'camera' points on the mansion grounds. While that went on in the background, Ritsuka called upon his third Noble Phantasm, his '_Library of Mystics: Tools of the Master_' to summon piles of Servant material.

As he methodically organized everything and set up a magic circle that resembled a Summoning Circle, he began to think.

Summoning Diarmuid and using him as a dummy Saber started off as a joke in response to his preexisting knowledge of the Fourth Holy Grail War roster of Servants, but as he bounced the idea around in his head, he had found it to be quite smart. Having a more 'single target' oriented Servant face off enemies head on in an unknown situation had always been a sound strategy while those more oriented towards 'AOE' attacks were more suited towards wiping out already known factors.

Not only did that common strategy he devised as the Last Master of Humanity fit, but for this situation, where identities mattered much more in battle, using a differently classed version of a Servant already known to participate in this war worked to his advantage. If Diarmuid's identity were to be unveiled, it would disadvantage Lancer as the others would also know his strengths and weaknesses due to sharing an identity with Saber. It helped significantly that Diarmuid as a Saber was a significantly better head on fighter than his Lancer version. And if Diarmuid's identity was unveiled, the other Masters thinking Diarmuid, who lacked Anti Army or other 'AOE' Noble Phantasms, would over confidently strike at him and be blindsided by Artoria.

Thinking of Casters, his thoughts drifted to Gilgamesh, then to his older, Caster Class version. Then Ritsuka's head tilted in defeat.

He lamented not having been summoned as a Caster. With his skillset and Noble Phantasms, it would have been so much better if he could summon his Casters to both fight alongside him and aid him. The one Caster among the roster that scrolled through his head was Lord El Melloi II.

This Fourth Grail War from the get go differed from what had occurred in the 1994 Singularity. With Kiritsugu not being a Counter Guardian things had changed so much. Kiritsugu himself was a nice enough Master (even if he had ruthlessly blown up an empty Hyatt Hotel to get at Kayneth and him cheating on Irisviel to 'hur dur git used to betraying her') and having Artoria and Diarmuid to help out was nice, but having someone who was familiar with the entire events of the Grail War and actively participated in almost the entire thing, unlike Artoria who was restrained by Kiritsugu, would've assuaged his anxieties by a significant margin. Without him, Ritsuka would have to gather evidence and concoct some bullshit to convince Kiritsugu of the Grail's state before it was too late. The thought of Lord El Melloi II convincing Kayneth to leave came to mind.

"No use crying over spilt milk." Ritsuka muttered as refocused and worked away.

* * *

Servant Class- Saber

Alignment- Neutral Good

True Name- Ritsuka Fujimaru

Parameters:

Strength- C

Endurance- C

Agility- C

Mana- C

Luck- A

NP- EX

Class Skills-

Magic Resistance: D

The ability to resist magic to a certain extent.

Riding: C

The ability to mount and ride vehicles. Its rank is high enough to master riding modern vehicles and animals but mystical creatures are beyond him.

Personal Skills-

?: A

?: A

Discernment of the Poor: D

The insight to see through the opponent's character and attributes. With its ranking, the user is capable of making unbiased judgements of character but is still fallible to deception.

Magecraft: D

Saint Graph Modification: C

The ability to modify an allied Servant's Saint Graph core with the usage of material and mana. Strengthening mainly lowers the amount of Mana needed to maintain them at full power and potentially giving them access to additional Noble Phantasms or Skills. This skill also allows for the installation of Craft Essences and Command Codes. Due to its rank, Ritsuka can only strengthen a Servant's Saint Graph Core and not change their class. This skill requires time and Mana to utilize at its fullest potential.

?: E-A

Veneer of Powerlessness: B

Noble Phantasms-

Amicizia: Vessel of Friendships

Rank- EX

Type- Anti Army

Originally a Mystic Code given to Ritsuka Fujimaru by Leonardo Da Vinci, it is an armored briefcase that contains the Saint Graph Cores of all Servants the last Master of Human History met in his journeys. Using it, Ritsuka can summon any Servant whose Saint Graph is stored within the case. Crystallized as a Noble Phantasm, the case has no need for a Leyline or Summoning Circle to bring forth Servants, though using a Circle or a Leyline would cut down on Mana costs by a noticeable margin.

Command Spells

Rank- C

Type- Anti Personnel (1 Target)

Functioning almost exactly like a typical Master's set of 3 Command Spells, it lacks the same amount of power of coercion that regular Command Seals have. In return for having weaker effects, the Command Spells are capable of regenerating 1 spell in 24 hours if Ritsuka is supplied with sufficient Mana. These spells can be used to empower a Servant under Ritsuka's command or be used as pure Mana to sustain Ritsuka himself.

Library of Mystics: Tools of the Master

Rank- E-D

Type- Anti Personnel (1-5 Targets)

A library of auxiliary equipment used to enhance a Servant's performance in battle. The archive consists of Mystic Codes, Craft Essences, and material used to enhance a Servant's Saint Graph core.

* * *

**Oh baby this was the longest chapter I've written thus far at ~9,200 words when my previous was at ~5,000**

**As you've read, this is mostly just a retelling of the 2nd day of the Fourth Holy Grail War. When I started thinking up this scenario, the scene where Lancer and Saber Diarmuid fighting each other always shot up in my mind. It was why this chapter ended up being just a rehash and set up for what Ritsuka, Diarmuid, and Artoria would be up to in the coming days of this instance of Fate/ Zero. Hopefully, the next Fate Zero focused chapter will change that as I've already written the plot skeleton down for Lancer of the Fourth (Also some loose ideas on how to pull off Saber of the Fifth). **

**A question to readers regarding the order in which chapters are released, would it be better if I grouped them by Holy Grail Wars or by Class? I've already had the idea to separate them by Subcategory Holy Grail Wars (all Fuyuki Grail War oneshots will be told one after the other then it will move on to the Greater Grail War in Apocrypha.) but I was wondering if the chapter releases should be: [Saber of the Fourth, Lancer of the Fourth, Archer of the Fourth, etc.] or: [Saber of the Fourth, Saber of the Fifth, Lancer of the Fourth, Lancer of the Fifth, etc]. PM or write your suggestions along with any feedback and critiques you may have in the reviews. (btw the release structure of the chapters will go through Knight Classes first, Cavalry Classes second, and Extra classes third) **

**Hopefully the chapter is to your satisfaction. Have a good day!**


	4. Chapter 4: Lancer of the Fourth

**PixelGMS: Admittedly I did get carried away with using 'Oriental' in the last chapter. I was mostly using it for Avenger of the Third because it was predominantly from Darnic's perspective and he is from 1940s Clock Tower (which is already a pretty racist against Asians in modern day Nasuverse). Some changes have been made, but Kayneth will still default to calling Ritsuka 'oriental' due to only knowing he is Asian. **

**jfhakala: I am considering making a part two for certain chapters but as I am right now, I'm focusing more on writing the rest of the 4th Grail War chapters before deciding to add a part 2 to certain open ended chapters like Saber of the Fourth. With what I'm trying to do right now, the chapters will advance deeper into the Grail War with each proceeding chapter and sometimes post Grail War. I'm just unsure of how interesting a sequel would be for Saber of the Fourth and with this, chapters would probably be a prequel or a brief conclusion. With writing these chapters, I'm sort of pigeon holed into writing mostly the beginning, rising action just before the climax, or post. If you have any suggestions to dodge this, you can write them in your reviews.**

* * *

**Summary: In which Ishtar is confirmed to Ritsuka to be an uber petty bitch**

* * *

Sheets of rain pelted the abandoned landscape of Fuyuki. The inhabitants long since evacuated.

A raven haired young man looked outside through a ruined window at the grey skies outside before turning back to his work: a Summoning Circle.

Just outside the building, a hooded woman with a cage sheltered under her cloak looked on at the grey skies above. There was a swelling of restrained resentment. The blue skies and nature of the outside world she so yearned to see with her beloved ripped from her hands and blighted by a being she knew oh so well. A figure she resented and envied. Such feelings resurfacing with the recollection of being in a similar position to herself in the distant past. Where she looked on from the ground below, gazing up at her haughty sister's demonstration of obscene arrogance.

Red eyes closed. The woman felt the thrum of Mana. The Summoning ritual and the proceeding enhancement ritual were about to begin.

* * *

A pair of figures stood on a sandy beach, rubble littered all around them. Their forms contrasted one another. One donning golden armored leggings and greaves, his chest exposed to the world while his companion was garbed in a white clothes that covered all of his body with the exception of his head and feet. Two pairs of eyes, green and red, stared at the sky, their gaze focused on a distant mass of thunderclouds.

A masculine voice, one tinged with disdain, broke the silence that pervaded between the two companions, "Leave it to that damned Goddess to spoil our reunion in the worst way possible."

The other figure's voice, much softer responded, "Indeed. Though it is to be expected from someone of her disposition…" Wet, cascading green locks moved as their owner tilted their head to the side, looking back in the direction of the city.

The first figure tilted his head, snakelike eyes focused on his companion's form, "Has that boisterous fool recovered enough to stand beside us again?"

Without looking, the green haired being responded, "No, my Master has completed his Summoning ritual. Another Heroic Spirit joins our ranks, and with the aura I sense, is the Godslayer I spoke of while in Chaldea."

The golden armored man nearly snorted, almost offended, "Nonsense… by a miracle, the Chains and Wedge of Heaven stand together on this momentous day to face down one of the world's last remnants of the Age of Gods with aid from the Goddess of the Underworld herself, yet that Master of yours still thinks that isn't enough in putting an end to this Goddess and her pet?"

A small, serene smile spread on the green eyed being's face, "Well, my Master is a cautious man and does hate it when a fight gets dragged out."

Gilgamesh acknowledged this, speaking more-so to himself, "So he's a hasty sort of person... " The King of Heroes then decided to switch to other topics.

Enkidu and Gilgamesh would continue to make small talk, bantering like they did when they lived and journeyed together in Ancient Sumeria. Memories of countless nights spent by a campfire in the wilderness came to the duo, the warmth of their companionship welling up in one another's chests. Them being in high spirits in the face of the long fight ahead.

* * *

The light and smoke cleared. A woman stood in the middle of the Summoning Circle. Dark magenta hair framed a pale face. Her voluptuous and muscular body covered in a maroon, form fitting combat suit that matched her hair. Twin crimson spears manifested in her hands. Her blood red eyes met blue, "Ritsuka."

"Scathach" Acknowledged the raven haired man.

Turning to look in the distance past the windows, she inquired, "The scent of divinity pervades this land. What threat have you summoned me to slay?"

Without missing a beat, Ritsuka responded "Ishtar and Gugalanna"

A modicum of surprise colored her face, "In this era?"

Ritsuka gave a tired sigh, "It's a bit of a long story. I'll tell you while I prepare the enhancement materials. The upcoming battle will require you to be at your best." The Witch of Dun Scaith acknowledged this and allowed for Ritsuka to speak as he manifested enhancement material after enhancement material. The teacher of Cu Chulainn's assisted with setting up the ritual circles, speeding up the setup process.

* * *

Ritsuka Fujimaru, as a Lancer Class Servant, entered the Grail War with a not-so-welcomed start. His Master, Kayneth Archibald El Melloi, had exploded in fury upon seeing Ritsuka's pitiful stats that were more inclined towards that of a Caster.

Even then, after seeing that Ritsuka lacked even the ability to use Magecraft in a way that could injure a Servant and what tools Ritsuka did have mainly being for support, Kayneth had exploded into further outrage. Heated words were recalled such as 'worthless oriental peasant' and 'worthless whelp' by the young man.

It was only after the revelation that Ritsuka could summon Servants to his command that Kayneth's opinions of his Servant lightened. Internally, Ritsuka had already established a strategy from what information he remembered of Lord El Melloi II's account of the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Knowing that the Grail was corrupted, Ritsuka made up his mind in summoning two Servants. Enkidu to counter Gilgamesh, potentially counter the Grail with Enkidu's connection with the Counter Force, and to reason with the King of Heroes for aid.

The other Servant was Ereshkigal. Though Ritsuka admitted that there was a bias in that he wanted for Ereshkigal to see more of the outside world, there was a planned last ditch operation wherein she would bury and seal the Grail with her _Kur Kigal Irkalla_ if it ever got to the point of manifesting and leaking its payload of Black Mud.

"_If only I had been summoned in one of the Cavalry Classes," _Lamented the Chaldean Master.

The Grail War started off with a demonstration that won the trust of Kayneth and a change in expectation of how the Grail War would play out to the Master of Lancer. The Einzbern representative's plot to blow up the Hyatt Hotel was foiled. The bombs were found and disposed of. The foundations, parking lot, and general basement area of the building complex were secured by Ereshkigal's Territory Creation.

Then was the first actual fight of the Grail War. It was between Gilgamesh and Enkidu within a nearby mountain range, their battle lasting 5 hours where the clash between _Gate of Babylon _and _Age of Babylon_ flattened a mountain along with causing significant collateral damage to the mountain range itself. The course of the fight leaked both Gilgamesh and Enkidu's identities to the rest of the Grail War participants but both combatants and Kayneth didn't care too much; if Enkidu fell Ritsuka could easily summon another Servant, Kayneth had reasoned.

Their fight was only stopped by both Tokiomi restraining Gilgamesh from pulling Ea and Sola beginning to feel the strain of providing Mana for Enkidu.

The next day, Enkidu and Ritsuka had tracked down Caster and killed the demented Servant and his Master in short order. Enkidu's _Presence Detection_ made the search trivial. That same night they were confronted by the Rider class Servant, Iskander, to ally with him, an offer that was bluntly refused by Enkidu who, still masquerading as the war's Lancer, warned that his Master was Kayneth and if Iskander showed himself again with his Master, Waver, in tow, both of their lives would be forfeit.

The next two days were relatively quiet, though Kayneth was furious upon learning of the conspiracy between Tokiomi and the Church. This being brought on with Enkidu exposing the Assassin Class Servant as still being alive and Ritsuka unveiling the Assassin as Hassan of the Hundred Faces.

The defenses of the Hyatt Hotel were further fortified and a command given to Ereshkigal and Enkidu to kill any Assassins they could get their hands on, the former in a more covert manner as none of the participants were aware of Ritsuka's status as the true Lancer of this Grail War.

Skirmishes over the next few days would ensue, Kayneth building up a hit list with Kiritsugu Emiya at the top, followed by Kirei, Tokiomi, and finally Waver when the poor student's identity was eventually revealed when one of Kayneth's familiars caught sight of the student riding in Iskander's chariot. In the background, Ritsuka worked with Ereshkigal in putting in place her measures for dealing with the Corrupted Grail.

Berserker and Iskander eventually established a short lived alliance that saw the destruction of the Matou house and an assault on Tokiomi Tohsaka. Both Servants were repelled by Gilgamesh and Berserker went rogue, encountering and initiating a duel where Saber was forced to reveal her concealed Noble Phantasm, Excalibur, thus exposing her identity as King Arthur. She proceeded to slay Berserker but not before he revealed his identity to her, causing her much distress.

It was after that, that invitations were sent out by Iskander. A proposed Banquet of Servants where the remaining Servants sat down and discussed their desires for the Grail.

The entire course of the Grail War changed as unknown to all participants, the very first true battle of the war between Enkidu and Gilgamesh triggered a thousands year old curse disguised as a blessing put in place by the goddess Ishtar. If by some miracle the two friends were to ever meet again on this Earth, Ishtar herself would remanifest to strike the two down.

During the Banquet, the frail and sickly Homunculus masquerading as Saber's Master vomited Black Mud, before revealing herself to be Ishtar. "Everything went to hell," as Ritsuka said. The entire Einzbern Mansion was levelled from the fight between Ishtar and Iskander, Enkidu, Gilgamesh, and Artoria.

It was as the possessed Homunculus was being pushed back did she reveal her trump card, the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna. It partially manifested, the hoof smashing down, wiping out the entire Einzbern Mansion, killing Saber, and leaving Iskander severely wounded. Miles away in Fuyuki, every window either cracked or shattered from the shockwave of the strike.

The Kotomine Church was destroyed shortly after by Ishtar, Ritsuka did not have enough information for why. All he had learned was that Risei got out with injuries that would cripple him for the rest of his life and that Kirei and Assassin were killed in the attack. With Kiritsugu, neither hide nor hair of him was seen since the Einzbern Mansion's complete annihilation. Since no thorough search of the rubble was initiated, Ritsuka considered the Magus Killer MIA.

After destroying the Church, Ishtar disappeared. Then began the persisting rainfall. Flooding occurred and with some strings drawn, Risei managed to fabricate a report of an incoming storm (which wasn't that far from the truth) that would cause an unprecedented tsunami that could flood all of Fuyuki. It was agreed that Ishtar was building up Mana, using her vessel's connection to the Grail to siphon enough Mana to fully manifest Gugalanna and to rampage across Japan to kill Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

Kayneth and Sola were eventually convinced by Ritsuka and Ereshkigal to leave Fuyuki. With information from Risei of the state the Leylines from the Mana drain Ishtar was performing to fuel Gugalanna, the Grail System was probably crippled and in need of inspection after this disastrous Grail War, the couple were given more than enough reason to not risk themselves anymore than they needed to.

The only one human left in Fuyuki to Ritsuka's knowledge was young Waver Velvet, who stubbornly stuck around to nurse Iskander back to health.

* * *

The clap of thunder cut through the somehow still intensifying rainfall. The soaked figure of Ereshkigal appeared in the doorway of the building, "Ritsuka? Gugalanna has begun to manifest in full. Are you finished?"

The light of enhancement died down. The young man turned to face the blonde goddess. He silently nodded. Turning to Scathach, she brandished her spears. The trio left the confines of the building. Jogging to the Mion River.

While on the move, the Master of Chaldea reflected on the relationships he had built over the course of the Grail War. He recalled in Accel Order how Waver had handled much of the talking with Lord El Melloi.

Comparing how Lord El Melloi II handled Kayneth, Ritsuka's was admittedly strained and a bit more difficult to work with. With Mages like Olga and Goldolf, they were much more friendly. Olga's abrasive front being just a front from what little interaction he had with her, and Goldolf having a life outside of Magecraft with his hobbies of cooking and racing.

The Master's mind drifted to a skill of his, _Magnetic Charisma. _With Kayneth's mindset, Ritsuka highly doubted that he could've developed such a working relationship with the Clocktower Lord without it, but the young man couldn't help but feel dirty about it.

Though it served as a reflection for an already pre-existing skill in building relations, how much of it was his own skill and how much of it was the subtle magic that came from a Servant skill? It was one of the reasons why he had decided to be as distant from Sola as he did, despite her Mana and vocal input with Kayneth being a large part in how work had gone so smoothly in prepping defenses and enhancing Enkidu and Ereshkigal. "_Well, also considering Sola's disdain for Kayneth, Kayneth kind of resembling Fionn in attitude sometimes, and Diarmuid's fear of women and dislike of jealous men; I think I might have an accurate picture of what Diarmuid's ultimate downfall was in his Fourth Holy Grail War"_, it was possibly for the best that he hadn't gotten too close to Sola.

Ritsuka let go of that inane line of thinking, "_Both Kayneth and Sola are safely travelling by plane back to London right now. I still have a job to do. Yet… " _

Scathach noticed her Master falter in his advance. "_Is he low on Mana? He is only working off of Kayneth's three Command Spells for Mana…" _Red eyes took note of where her Master's gaze drifted towards. "_Ereshkigal?" _The Godslayer was tempted to voice her inquiry, but decided to shuttle it away. "_Knowing him, he'll settle whatever issue he was with her right now."_

With her superior speed, Scathach quickly sped ahead to the frontlines. Ritsuka remained by Ereshkigal's side, "Eresh?"

"Ritsuka?"

Both man and goddess slowed to a walk

It took a moment for Ritsuka to articulate, "I'm sorry"

Questioning and concern came over Ereshkigal's hooded face, "What for?"

"For… for the situation at hand here. This… This isn't what you wanted, right? Experiencing the surface world like this. Every time I've called for you, it's been crisis after crisis. Not travelling because you want to see the sights, but because it's a job, a duty. I'm sorry for that."

Her eyes widened, "There isn't any need for you to apologize. Even if I was stuck in the Hyatt Hotel, I still met some people. Tried out the food there. Even swam. And for the few times in the day where I could sneak out, they were still all fun experiences."

His eyes drifted away, "Still..."

A hand took hold of his chin, their eyes making contact, "As Goddess of the Netherworld, I order you to stop, Ritsuka."

There was a pause between the two, a visible blush beginning to work its way up her cheeks as she realized how close her face was with his, "Y-you did all you could in these circumstances, and I'm glad that we could meet and fight together again like this. A-as one of the patron deities behind your _Affections of the Divine _skill, I also order that the next time you're summoned, t-to…" she began to mumble to herself, "... arrgh! Just don't be so harsh on yourself!"

The Goddess turned away in embarrassment, "Why are you like this… p-please stop smiling at me."

A hand came up to Ritsuka's lips, "Oh, I'm-" a lone red eye glared back at him, "... Thank you."

The Goddess relented for a moment, before speaking up, "You need to get going, Master. I don't need to be at the front and Enkidu and Scathach need your support."

Returning to the situation at hand, Ritsuka responded, "Got it."

Ritsuka's previously high spirited demeanor dropped, his back straightening and his eyes focused as he stared ahead, down the Mion River, and past the ruined bridge that once linked Shinto and Miyama City. His blue eyes were upon the head of a golden bull the size of a mountain, peeking out from the thundering clouds just in front of the beach. He could feel it now, the power of a certain EX ranked skill invigorating him as it defined the massive, Holy Grail empowered bull as a threat to humanity.

Ritsuka broke into a run, clearing city blocks and rapidly approaching the beach, to the frontlines of what would be one of the last battles of this derailed Grail War.

* * *

Ereshkigal looked on at his still growing distant back. Her spear was brandished as she made the final preparations of her Noble Phantasm. Though the plan was originally meant to entrap the Grail, the progress she had made could just as easily be repurposed to entrap the Bull of Heaven, if at least long enough for a fatal blow to be struck by either Scathach or Enkidu and Gilgamesh.

As she focused, images of a duo surfaced. One of a glasses-wearing girl with lavender colored hair who walked alongside a slightly younger Ritsuka. "_Besides, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. If there is anyone to apologize to, then that girl, who knew you the longest and could never afford the leisure of travelling the surface world for just sake of travel; she'd be the one to say your sorries to." _

* * *

Servant Class- Lancer

True Name- Ritsuka Fujimaru

Alignment- Neutral Good

Parameters:

Strength- D

Endurance- C

Agility- C

Mana- C

Luck- A

NP- EX

Class Skills-

Magic Resistance: D

Personal Skills-

?: EX

Affections of the Divine: A

Skill that denotes love from multiple deities. Stats in Endurance, Luck, and Mana are increased by 1 rank. If manifested in a class that coincides with or allows the summoning of a deity, Endurance, Luck, and Mana go up a further rank.

Discernment of the Poor: D

Magecraft: D

Saint Graph Modification: C

Magnetic Charisma: E-A

A peculiar variant of Charisma that is a testament to the user's skill in recruiting and leading others. Those who hold meaningful interaction with the user will at times be swayed to join their cause, either due to finding pleasant companionship or romantic interest in the user. The ranking of this skill goes up the more interaction one has with the user

Veneer of Powerlessness: B

Noble Phantasms-

Amicizia: Vessel of Friendships

Rank- EX

Type- Anti Army

Command Spells

Rank- C

Type- Anti Personnel (1 Target)

Library of Mystics: Tools of the Master

Rank- E-D

Type- Anti Personnel (1-5 Targets)

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**To summarize this iteration of the Grail War as a whole, Ritsuka dragged the Fourth Grail War out a bit longer than canon because he indirectly caused people to focus on the two most fortified masters of the Grail War (Kayneth and Tokiomi) and who held command of the two strongest Heroic Spirits of the War (Enkidu and Gilgamesh. And this continued until Ishtar attacked.**

**A much shorter chapter than the last. For that I must apologize, but with how I'm thinking up these scenarios, this along with Archer of the Fourth won't be that interesting as Kayneth and Tokiomi are more defensively inclined and won't go around picking fights. Besides, both have access to the most magical related resources in Fate/Zero so Ritsuka would hunker down and do more background things. I have confidence that the Cavalry Class chapters will be much more interesting with the Masters being more on the underdog side. Also for me Kayneth and Tokiomi don't seem to be as interesting to write. **

**So anyways, this chapter was originally just Kayneth sipping morning tea and recalling this Grail War's variant of the first actual fight in the Grail War. I was inspired after reading a bit more into F/SF, specifically in how and why Ishtar manifested (btw for those unfamiliar with SF, Ishtar manifested in a Homunculus so her full bitchiness isn't diluted by Rin. The first draft of this chapter just would've been a slog to read through (in my personal opinion).**

**With the Fate/Zero canon protagonists, this version of Irisviel was vomiting blood and Black Mud (from Ishtar purging the Grail of Angra Mainyu's presence) leading up to the banquet and her identity was squashed by Ishtar because she resisted possession; Ishtar decided that Irisviel was an ideal vessel due to Irisviel being the Lesser Grail, a Homunculus, and "because she would die anyway, so I might as well use her". I've left Kiritsugu's fate up in the air. There's only really three fates I can think of where he's either: dead, ran off to Germany to retrieve Illya, or is in the shadows to participate in the fight against Ishtar. **

**To specify with Ereshkigal's main issue with this Grail War (and Ritsuka's), she's pissed because, as a precautionary measure to ensure only Enkidu is seen as the Lancer of this Grail War, she and Ritsuka were confined to the Hyatt Hotel unless they stuck out and astralized with some presence concealment Craft Essences equipped. **

**Regarding Class, Saber is the weakest class that Ritsuka can be summoned into. It holds the least amount of advantages with not having **_**Affections of the Divine **_**at full power and the narrow selection of Servants available to Ritsuka (referring to what they are capable of as most are just straightforward magic tanks with beam swords or powerful swordsmanship when other classes have Servants with skills besides that). That plus not having access to Servants that can deal with the whole Corrupted Grail problem (though the Archer Class also suffers from this plus just Knight Classes in general). _Affections of the Divine _is essentially a check on whether or not there is a deity in the same class as Ritsuka (also there being a sex joke somewhere in there). That aside, that EX ranked skill is not so subtly related to his main feats, so take that as you will.**

**Update: An inquiry to readers regarding Nasuverse lore in general. Are Japanese Servants allowed to be summoned in the Fuyuki Grail Wars? I find sources that say they are and others that say they don't, so I want some information as some future chapters might go over this. Just leave the answer and the sources of those answers in the reviews along with any feedback you may have. Thank you. **

**Anyways, leave feedback and have a good day. **


	5. Chapter 5: Archer of the Fourth

**All Heroic Spirits enter a Grail War with some sort of desire in their hearts. What does Ritsuka Fujimaru desire?**

* * *

Ritsuka Fujimaru blearily awoke to bright light filtering through a nearby window. Blue eyes looked around at his surroundings. The drowsiness in them rapidly left the master as he took stock of his surroundings.

Turning his head, picked up his phone from his bedside table, his hand almost knocking over his wallet. The glow of his smartphone spelled out the time clearly, "8:45". Seeing that his phone was only 80% charged, he blindly stretched his arm and found the charge wire. Plugging it in and hearing the familiar charge sound, he placed his phone back in its place on the bedside table.

Taking a moment, the blankets were thrown off of his body as he sat up, gazing at the familiar walls of his room. Looking down, he found that he was wearing a black tank top and a pair of grey boxer briefs.

Bare feet creaked the wooden floor boards as he got off his bed and looked at the posters of Gundam and other mecha tacked on his wall and ceiling, then at his desk a few footsteps away. Neatly sorted in miniature shelves were a variety of paints and tools. At the ground next to the desk a stack of untouched model kits still in their boxes.

He turned away from the nostalgic sight and went to his dresser, extracting a t- shirt and long pants which he put on over the tank top and boxer briefs he apparently went to sleep in.

Closing the dresser, he turned his head to a familiar bookshelf. Manga, books, and magazines were crammed in the bookshelf and on top were a few 1/144 scale models. Standing on his toes, he picked one off the shelf: the RX-78-2 Gundam. Seeing a light layer of dust on its boxy shoulders, the teen took a handkerchief nearby and lightly dusted the model.

Diverting his attention from the kit, Ritsuka turned his attention back to the room around him. To his bed, to the bedside desk where his desktop computer and phone rested, to the model kit desk in the opposite corner of the room, to his dresser beside him, and finally back to the bookshelf in front of him. He looked back down to the kit in his hand.

*knock* *knock*

The rapping on his door broke him out of his reverie and to the door. A woman's voice, one so familiar to the boy, was heard from the other side, "Ritsuka, breakfast is ready!"

Ritsuka responded immediately, "I'll be there in a minute, mom!"

Hearing the shuffling of footsteps away from his door, the teen placed the Gundam back in its place between the HGCE Strike Gundam and RG Nu Gundam before picking his phone and wallet off his bedside table and opening his door.

Stepping out into the hallway, he walked to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Afterwards, he walked down the stairs to the first floor and was greeted by both a meal on the table and his mother who was behind the kitchen counter; her face obscured by a bamboo curtain. His mother's voice was heard over the cleaning of dishes, "Your father went to work an hour ago. Breakfast is on the table."

Taking a seat and a pair of chopsticks, he uttered an "Itadakimasu" and began eating with gusto a breakfast consisting of steamed rice, fried fish, seaweed, and miso soup.

Letting out a hum of delight, he quickly finished the bowl of Miso Soup. As he set the bowl down, the clatter of dishes and utensils being washed stopped. Mrs. Fujimaru finally spoke, "The blood drive you mentioned last week is today. Are you still going, Ritsuka?"

The teen's response was prompt, "Of course. Why do you ask?"

She responded, "Just curious. You did sleep in a little longer than usual."

Ritsuka acknowledged, "It happens. Speaking of-" the black haired youth picked up his phone, "it's an hour off and considering crowds, I better go." Getting up from the table, he handed the stacked bowls and dishes over to his mother at the kitchen counter. "You know, I can help clean them."

His mother refused, "No. As you said, you better go. Don't want the crowds making you late to the drive." The teen nodded before walking away and finding and putting on a pair of socks and shoes.

As he was about to open the door outside, the boy froze. Something whispered into his ear but before he could comprehend what the whisper said, images of an orange harried man, a brown haired woman, and a pink haired girl came to him. Unpausing, the boy turned and bid his mother goodbye before opening the door and walking outside.

Closing and locking the door, the boy turned and took a breath of fresh air, the whisper and its words forgotten. The teen then began a brisk walk to the train station, navigating through the crowds and finally cramped with a bunch of strangers in a train car.

Looking past the bodies of people, Ritsuka gazed out at the passing cityscape. A distinct feeling of longing clenched his chest but as soon as it came to him, it faded.

The proceeding hour was uneventful after he reached his destination. Those at the blood drive were nice people. The only discomfort he felt was the initial sting before they began draining blood from his arm.

Now fast forward, he was walking through the crowded city streets, sipping on a juice box the people at the blood drive handed out to donors. Checking his phone, the teen was met with a conundrum. In consideration of the time of day, would it be better to take a train back home and eat a home cooked lunch or eat lunch here, then go back home.

His thumb was hovering over the call button when he felt a presence behind him. Turning, Ritsuka faced a green eyed, brown haired gentleman of European descent. Spying a stylized English letter "C" patch on the breast of the man's jacket, the very same as the blood drive the black haired teen had just been at, Ritsuka's initial trepidation of talking to the stranger was assuaged.

Taking a step back from the too close blood drive employee, the blue eyed Japanese teen posed a question, "Can I help you?"

Realizing his inappropriate proximity, the man cheekily laughed before responding in heavily accented Japanese, "Ah, I'm sorry about that. It was just that the people at the blood drive found… something about your blood."

Worried, the teen inquired, "Is there something wrong with it?"

Holding his hands up, the man quickly replied, "No no, nothing wrong with it..." the man hummed before continuing, "Say, would you like a job in helping people?"

A bit suspicious, the black haired youth answered, "Uh, sure."

Something changed in that man's demeanor, something that placed Ritsuka Fujimaru on edge. The man asked, "Even if that job would bring you untold amounts of suffering in the endeavor?"

The whispers were back, persistent this time, but still unintelligible. Blue eyes closed for but a moment before opening and meeting green eyes that seemed to glow. Ritsuka affirmed his previous answer, "...yes"

The European's lips curled into a smile, "That's all I had to hear"

With those words spoken, the entire crowded city street backdrop fell away before Ritsuka's eyes. Not being able to help it, the boy's gaze drifted behind him, seeing how pavement reformed into smooth, pristine reflective flooring. Looking back to the European man, Ritsuka's gaze was met with a long, empty hallway.

Looking down, the T-shirt long pants combo Ritsuka once wore was gone. In its place a white long sleeved collared shirt secured by two belts paired with black dress pants greeted Ritsuka's eyes. He loosened the collar, pausing to finger the twin intersecting diamond shaped zipper. Looking back up, the lone Master began to walk.

His body went on auto pilot as he took in the eerie silence of the empty facility. No Nursery Rhyme, Jackie, or Jeanne Alter Santa Lily running through the halls, chased by Atalanta. No calm discussion between maintenance and mission control workers on break. No sounds of a ruckus or of servants hanging out from the rooms he passed by. The only sounds were of the wind outside and his footsteps.

It was at a certain door that the teen stopped. In front of him was the medical office. There was a flash of an orange haired man. It disappeared as soon as it shot up to the surface of his mind.

Extracting from his pocket, the Master inserted an identification card into a slot beside the door. A green light and a beep of affirmative gave the go for Ritsuka to walk through the now open door.

Ritsuka looked around at the empty office. He began to walk, memories playing before his eyes. The teen opened a cabinet behind the designated Head of the Medical Department's desk. It was a habit of his, stealing a small, almost unnoticeable portion of Romani's hidden stash of snacks to either eat them for himself or give it to any Servants that had a sweet tooth.

Just like the halls outside, the cabinet was empty.

Getting up from his crouched position, Ritsuka eyed the digital clock hanging on a far wall: **11:57 PM**. The Japanese teen didn't feel particularly hungry, but out of habit, he made his exit from the office and continued his trek through the empty hallways.

He eventually found himself at the cafeteria. The sight of many headaches and memories of Servants and staff meeting one another for celebration and general interaction was devoid of any occupants save for one.

Her lavender hair stood out against the sterile white background. Mashu turned to Ritsuka, a faint smile on her lips.

* * *

The sky was pitch black

Painfully, Tokiomi was thrown onto his rump atop a building overlooking the Fuyuki Civic Center. Turning his gaze skywards, the head of the Tohsakas's eyes trailed up to the black hole that had opened in the sky above the site of the Grail's manifestation. A clear indication that his Servant had been right from the very start- that the Grail had been corrupted.

Turning, he looked upon the skimpily dressed girl that had flown him up to the building in the first place. Dressed in what could only be described as an armored belly dancer's garb, the Archer Class Servant, Ishtar, surveyed the Fuyuki skyline, irritation easily visible. There was a pointed effort to ignore Tokiomi's presence. An act which pained the father within the red Magus, for this incarnation of Ishtar was a Pseudo- Servant wherein the Sumerian Goddess took possession and bonded with an older version of his eldest daughter, Rin Tohsaka.

Turning his gaze downward, the normally proud Magus looked down at the back of his hand. At the two Command Spells still present.

As blue eyes blinked, those Command Spells were reduced to one as Tokiomi recalled almost a week ago when he had expended two Command Spells to restrain his maverick of an Archer Class Servant, Ritsuka Fujimaru; the true Archer of the Grail War.

The memory was still vivid within Tokiomi's mind. Anger after realizing the implication of the burning hole that used to be the Matou mansion and a soot covered Ritsuka and the flaming oni Archer at the mansion front door. In Ritsuka's arms, Sakura wrapped in a cloak to preserve her modesty.

He had already contemplated formulating and putting in place some form of restraint or leverage over the raven haired, blue eyed Servant. Though he had sported the mask of a cold strategist, Tokiomi found him to be far too human in his approach- how he was just a magic user and thus didn't sport the Magus mindset.

Internally, the suspicion the Tohsaka head had stemmed from seeing much of himself in his youth within his Servant; both in character and physical resemblance. To have a modicum of his 'imperfect' younger self shown to him and to have that near mirror image have the gall to interfere with his personal affairs; annihilating one of the Three Founding Families…. Such a rash action was the most logical to Tokiomi at the time.

The contempt was palpable from the Servant's crew of Archers as the glow died down from Tokiomi's right hand. A single Command Spell was still present on that hand as Tokiomi lowered it and avoided eye contact from the five Servants Ritsuka had summoned and who could kill Tokiomi in but a millisecond. All seven occupants in the mansion stood in a standoff for a minute before finally Ritsuka turned and set Sakura on the nearby couch.

That acted as a signal for all of the present Servants to walk out of the room. As Ishtar left, her parting words rang out, "So this is the other side of this body's father, huh? What a disgrace."

Those words stung all the more when Tokiomi found out the extent of the Matou family magic's 'entrenchment' inside his daughter. How she was unable to look at Tokiomi straight in the face for the brief period before she went to live with Aoi and Rin.

A thump was heard, Tokiomi turning his head around to hear the source of the noise. An Archer in red landed, gently setting down a black haired man in an equally black duster. The Archer in red said something before turning in Tokiomi's direction, addressing Ishtar.

"Is Ritsuka still engaging Avenger?"

The Goddess responded, "No, Avenger's signature disappeared a while ago. Ritsuka, he's in the Black Mud."

Grey eyes widened. Chanting "Trace on!", the red sleeves wrapped around his muscular arms unravelled, exposing said arms for a brief moment before the holy fabric expanded and turned into a full body cloak.

He turned to address his fellow Servant, "I'll retrieve Ritsuka. The operation still goes as planned, so be ready."

Ishtar's response was a curt, "I know" before flying up, past the clouds above.

Leaping from the building, the Archer descended into the Fuyuki Civic Center.

The red Archer knew he shouldn't have heeded Ritsuka's words. That he needed to face Avenger alone.

Turning to the black haired man, former Master of Saber- Kiritsugu Emiya-, he could see the despair in the man's eyes as he murmured to himself, "Iri…"

With his Od exhausted and with nothing to do, Tokiomi began to reflect on the events of the Grail War. He could only regret the actions he had taken throughout the week. _"I only wanted what was best for my daughters..."_

* * *

The smell of hot cocoa wafted into Ritsuka's nose. Feelings of nostalgia intensified as he took a sip and saw Mashu do the same.

Setting her mug down, the demiservant finally spoke, "It's been so long hasn't it, senpai?"

"That it has"

There was a pause as both drained their mugs of the brown liquid. "You remember when we first met, right?"

"How could I not? Waking up to Fou licking me and seeing the prettiest girl I had seen yet."

There was a blush on the girl's cheeks as she shrunk a little into herself, "I- I'm not that pretty..."

Ritsuka laughed lightly at his Shielder's reaction, "You were back then and even after Heroic Spirits started walking the halls, some of which being the epitome of beauty, none of them made me feel the way I do about you."

Mashu's blush only deepened. The mirth in the black haired boy died off though as he looked all around, "It's quite empty here, huh?"

The lavender haired girl responded, "That it is." Her small smile faded away as she continued, "Jackie, Nursery Rhyme, and Jalter Lily would be frolicking in here and in the halls, with Atalanta and Martha following after..."

"Yeah…"

Suddenly, the glasses-wearing girl stood up. Ritsuka was a little startled as Mashu turned to him.

"The blizzard should have died down by now, with all of the Singularities resolved, senpai."

Blue eyes widened in realization, "Right. Guess we should see the outside world."

Both girl and boy walked out of the cafeteria, together trekking through the halls and towards the facility's exit.

* * *

EMIYA phased through the piles of rubble that had built up over the course of the fight against Saber Alter. The thought of the King of Knights brought some pain to the Counter Guardian. Despite her not being 'his Saber' or the one in Chaldea, it still pained him for the situation to come down to a fight to the death against that woman, one that could've been avoided if they hadn't been hampered early on by Tokiomi.

_"But what could I have expected? Ritsuka was always a bleeding heart. When he found out the extent to which Sakura suffered by Zouken after he snuck out that night and encountered Kariya..."_

* * *

As they made the long walk to the exit, Mashu turned to Ritsuka, "Tell me senpai, what was life like before you came here?"

The boy was silent for a moment before making his reply, "Life before... was very mundane. I woke up, went to school, studied, and had my hobbies. Sometimes I'd have enough free time to go down to the arcade once in a while. I remember spending countless hours just playing with my phone or on the arcade. You've catched glimpses of them, right? In the recordings of Shinjuku."

The demiservant hummed before replying, "Yeah. Though what of your parents? You didn't contact them during the Pseudo Singularities, did you?"

Ritsuka's eyes were downcast, "Regretfully, no. I didn't. There was sort of… too much going on at the time that I forgot to make time to contact them."

Mashu's eyes widened in understanding, "You'll visit them at the first opportunity, right senpai?"

The boy had a small smile, "Of course. And if you don't mind, would you like to tag along?"

The Shielder didn't hesitate in replying, "I'd be honored."

* * *

EMIYA stood at the precipice. Steel eyes looked at the roiling Black Mud whose source was floating some ways above. The Lesser Grail and what was once the homunculus Irisiviel.

The tanned Archer frowned as he recalled how Tokiomi didn't believe in Ritsuka's words that the Grail was corrupt. How the two command spells of "commit suicide if your Servants were to raise their power against Tokiomi Tohsaka" and "never again plan and execute plans without Tokiomi Tohsaka's knowledge" severely hampered Ritsuka's ability to stop the threat of the corrupt Grail. Most of the troubles being that second command spell.

Tanned hands curled into a fist. It wasn't just because of the seals being a hindrance that indirectly led to the cascade of events resulting in Lancer and Rider's demise and Saber's blackening and execution. It was anger at what those seals could have led to as the circumstances behind Ritsuka's ascension to the Throne was because none of his contracted Servants were there for him in his final moments. Not there to protect him.

EMIYA let out a breath as he began tracing weapons and other artifacts to protect him in the dive. Even with the traits of a Counter Guardian and the resistances given unto Ritsuka and his Servants by _that skill_, the corruptive nature of the Black Mud could still overwhelm such protections.

Thinking of the Fuyuki Grail and its inhabitant, EMIYA's eyes hardened.

Tokiomi had only begun to believe in Ritsuka's words when the 8th Servant, Avenger, was summoned into the Grail War as a rogue Servant. Considering how Gilgamesh was not present as Ritsuka had taken his slot in the war and how Ritsuka had disarmed the ticking time bomb that had been Kirei Kotomine with words that would point the priest down a more harmless path, the Counter Guardian suspected Angra Mainyu used Avenger as a last ditch effort to get his way.

_"But to think she'd be the 8th Servant…"_

* * *

Mashu's voice cut through the ambience of the rising Sun and the frigid wind.

"... You still remember the promise we made here after the Time Temple, right? That we would see the world together."

"I do."

She placed her hand on top of his, "There isn't anything holding us back now." Purple eyes met blue, "Please, join with me."

It pained him as he spoke, turning away and breaking eye contact, "I can't"

Mashu's eyes lowered as Ritsuka continued, "I'm sorry, but I can't keep that promise. Not with this corrupt Grail."

The demiservant's grip tightened, almost painfully so.

Mashu trembled as she quietly spoke, "It's not fair… "

The world around them distorted as the demiservant raised her voice, "IT'S NOT FAIR."

For a brief moment, the world shifted away from Antarctica and to someplace dark, on a desolate battlefield.

* * *

Ritsuka found himself on the ground, unable to move. Mashu, in a heavily battle damaged black armor, kneeled over Ritsuka's still form. Tears brimmed from her eyes, trickling down her dirt covered face.

"Ritsuka please… PLEASE stay with me! You promised me that we would see the world together!" Ritsuka felt a tear drop rain down on his still form, "You can't die now!"

His sight began to darken. The boy could taste the coppery tang of blood on his lips; feel the stickiness of the liquid as it seeped into his clothes and trickled out from the hole punched in his chest.

All too soon…

In spite of his will to live…

His sight failed him.

Ritsuka Fujimaru did not die a peaceful death.

* * *

The sight of Antarctica returned. Blue eyes drifted and found that the surroundings had changed. The Sun was no more. Instead, storm clouds surrounded the duo. Black snow fell all around them.

He looked to his beloved Shielder. Instead of the inquisitive, naive girl or the shield maiden blooming on the battlefield, what was before Ritsuka was a grieving woman. One altered by both the circumstances of her summoning and the countless number of years living alone after his death.

Deep down, the boy knew that this ephemeral dream was just that, a dream. One that sought to persuade him to fulfill an old promise at the cost of countless people's lives.

It wasn't even a perfect dream. From the very start it tried to nudge him into a place that would benefit Angra Mainyu the most. There were inconsistencies he easily discerned but was fine with ignoring just to be able to see the other occupant of this dream

The last morning he could clearly remember with his mother before his employment in Chaldea did not have her questioning if he would go down to donate blood. His parents had always championed assisting others in any way possible. They had enough trust in Ritsuka that he would have gone down to donate blood and not have used the allotted time to fool around in the arcade or something. A chunk of Ritsuka's initial grief on the world's incineration and later erasure into a blank slate was their last remembered interaction having been so mundane. The Grail attempted to exploit that.

That afternoon, the recruiter didn't prod so much in his decision to unknowingly accept becoming a Master. That man had simply asked 'Would you like a job in helping people?' and Ritsuka had simply replied, 'sure' and then, he found himself waking up in the white halls of Chaldea with only the vaguest recollection of the days or potential weeks between the Blood Drive and his arrival in Chaldea. The assault of memories and the walk around Chaldea then the meeting with Mashu. It was all an attempt to persuade him to accept the Grail's offer.

Ritsuka held Mashu close.

His luck running out was an inevitability. Even Servants with the highest luck died unfortunate deaths. Francis Drake died of dysentery during a sea voyage, Medb's sins caught up to her in the form of a hunk of cheese smashing her skull in, and Stheno and Euryale were consumed by their sister due to their inability to stop said sister's transformation into Gorgon.

But for him to die right at the finish line; when all of the Beasts had been beaten. When the Alien God and other threats, extraterrestrial or terrestrial had been stopped. For him to die at the end, what kind of cruel joke was that?

_"This entire Grail War is a cruel joke."_

To think one of the core subjects of his wish would appear before him to run him down; motivated by the wish of him living after resolving the various crises endangering Earth and humanity. All on top of already being hindered enough by his poor decisions cascading into the unnecessary bloodbath over the corrupted Grail.

His eyes watered, _"Both of us didn't want this, even though we put a strong front"_

It had taken the shock of Arjuna pushing him out of harm's way and the demigod's blood splattering onto Ritsuka's face to snap him back to reality at the sight of Mashu's altered form and her aggression towards him. Even after, in the second and final encounter, the Shadow Servants he brought to fight with him weren't his best or perfect counters to the Avenger. He couldn't bring himself to carry out his duty in full.

* * *

Cascading curtains of lavender framed Avenger's face. A face whose alabaster complexion was marred by red veins that spread throughout her black armor. In her right hand a crimson spear whose former holy glory was marred by both the blood of foreign divinity and the corruption of human sin.

Her eyes drifted down to Ritsuka's right hand, noting the lone Command Spell. _"No doubt he expended two to further empower his Servants fighting above."_

Burning golden eyes bore into blue orbs, "Why are you standing against me S- Archer? We both desire the same thing."

Archer bit back, "Not with this corrupted Grail, Avenger. I cannot condone the loss of life that would result if a single wish were made upon that _thing_!"

Her lips morphed into a frown, "Hoh, is that what your desire, or is it that skill of yours, keeping you chained to Alaya?"

He was unfazed by the question, "You know me well enough, and the same can be asked of you. Is this what you truly desire, or is it Angra Mainyu speaking through you?"

Avenger tsked, "A lot changed after you died. I... changed. I want to take it all back." Her voice began to rise "Take back what was cheated from me... What was cheated from YOU."

Magic energy spilled from her altered form, curling around her spear. Leg muscles tensed. Her eyes burned with determination.

"So just… JUST LET ME SAVE YOU!"

* * *

She had lost that fight. Lost the chance she had to do what she thought was right. How things should've gone after everything.

Ritsuka could feel Mashu's tears wet his Chaldea uniform. He held onto her tight, his eyes looking above at the cracks that had formed in the sky.

* * *

The ceiling of the basement cracked.

The entire Civic Center shook from the two simultaneous Servant fights happening in the basement and in the center performance hall.

The one in the hall was a clash of goddess, Counter Guardian, and fiery oni against pure, rampant power in the form of the corrupted King of Knights.

All three Archer Class Servants closely coordinated and navigated around one another's attacks. It was clear that their combined might would eventually wear down the blackened King of Knights, especially so with the multitude of distortions the Saber was forced to avoid by reliance upon her _Instinct_ skill, lest the aimed body part be twisted into a useless, mangled mess.

The one in the basement, however, was a different affair.

* * *

Electricity streamed forward only to be completely blocked or redirected by a wall of red. That strike however, was a cover for a duo of Servants who charged Avenger from behind. One hung back, his magnum discharging alongside the rush of the other, who wielded a shepherd's staff.

A shield manifested in Avenger's free hand, planted firmly on the ground and blocking the gunfire. The more close combat oriented Servant closed the distance and swung. Evidently missing as he suddenly found a black boot meeting his youthful face, sending him to the ground.

The same worn black shield was raised high. Flames heralding its rapid propulsion downward as it rendered the grounded Shadow Servant's head into mulch.

Avenger turned to her recent kill's magnum wielding companion and found the cowboy ducking out of the way as harmonic notes cut through the air.

Suddenly the rogue Servant found herself forced on a knee. A bolt of red knocking on the back of her left knee.

Pain blossomed as harmonic sounds tore through air and flesh, resulting in blood spilling out from the exposed parts of her Ortinax armor.

Ignoring the pain, Avenger recalled the roster of the 7 enemy combatants summoned for this battle. The sudden sounds of electricity charging and the cocking of many rifles reached her ears.

Turning, she caught sight of a tall male and short female glowing with magic. Male and female voices announced their Noble Phantasms.

**"System Keraunos!" "Three Thousand Worlds!"**

In face of the onslaught and immobilized, the Avenger brought her shield up once again, this time wreathed in visible magic.

**"Mold Camelot!"**

A wall of black and red met a cascade of countless magic bullets and electricity. The clash of Noble Phantasms obscuring all combatant's eyes for a brief moment.

A flash of red came, just as the blinding light began to die out.

The strike came low and swept up, striking the duo of Shadow Servants. The tall, muscular one of the duo was dealt a debilitating blow as the crimson streak slashed out his eyes. His shorter, rifle toting companion however, was not as fortunate as her bisected body fell in two, quickly fading away into motes of Mana.

Crattering the ground under her, the Avenger didn't so much as flinch as projectiles met her charge; so focused on honing in on the glasses-wearing, crossbow armed Servant that had sniped at her left leg. Countless razor sharp notes were ignored and any hard bolts from her target were either dodged or swatted out of the air off of her shield or spear.

Leaping up, she was upon the old man, spear raised.

Suddenly, a dome of silver met her thrust. The amorphous blob of Mercury that was _Volumen Hydrargyrum_ coalesced into a spiked surface that extended outwards. Instinctively the Avenger backpedalled, giving enough breathing room for the silver surface to part, revealing the Combat Mystic Code uniformed form of Archer, left arm bracing his outstretched right.

A potent ball of curse knocked the wind out of Avenger, stunning and sending her airborne. Time slowed for the Avenger as she glimpsed both the glasses wearing Servant and the magnum toting cowboy taking aim, magic building in their weapons.

She allowed her crimson spear to slip from her grasp, the inertia from the _Gandr_ shot carrying the weapon some distance.

**"Apfel Schießen!"** A powerful, undodgeable shot raced towards Avengers airborne form.

**"Thun-"** The cowboy Servant's chant was interrupted as red spikes tore through his throat, eye, and chest.

The lavender haired Servant took the brunt of the glasses wearing Servant's strike, letting it pierce through her left arm, rendering it useless. Her cry of pain caused Archer to flinch.

Landing on her back and rolling, the Servant instantly recalled her amorphous spear to her right hand while dismissing her shield.

Knowing that her injuries would continue to mount the longer the fight went on, Avenger charged Archer.

A knightly Servant bearing a harp-like bow barred the way. Dextrous fingers moving and sending deadly sound towards the enemy Servant's head.

Bending to the side, the Avenger took brief note of the stray lavender hairs sent flying from the knight's assault. She then halted her charge and back stepped as concrete exploded at her feet. Swinging her weapon, she deflected a number of shots that would've pierced her body.

Kept busy from her pursuit, Archer stood beside and coordinated with the blinded electromancer Shadow Servant, sending bolts of electricity at the spear wielding Servant's way.

Focusing her magic on defense, the Avenger noted the trajectory of the various projectiles targeting her form.

Tanking a few hits on her armor, she caught a stray bolt of electricity. Its blast was redirected into two. One striking the knight Servant square in the chest and the other dodged by the glasses wearing Servant.

With a moment of reprieve, the spear flared as Avenger drew upon her Mana reserves. Her right hand held the spear up, almost as if placing a prayer upon the weapon. Said weapon's glow intensifying.

**"Pierce, Longinus"**

With its true name invoked, the spear broke apart into countless barbs that honed and simultaneously struck the three remaining Shadow Servants.

The long haired, knightly Servant buckled as the barb retracted from his chest.

Glasses shattered on the ground, heralding its wearer's body limply falling to the ground, the hole in his temple spurting blood.

Archer was on the ground, seeing up close a crimson barb pulsating, tearing the electromancer's shoulder. Turning away from the sight, the Servant held his right hand over his chest, the appendage aglow with Magecraft.

In a display of its original Heroic Spirit's sheer will, the tall Shadow Servant grabbed hold of the red protrusion with a bronze gauntleted hand. Pure electricity ran through the barb and into the Avenger. She gasped in pain as currents of electricity ran through her body.

Clenching her teeth, the Servant reshaped _Longinus_ into a more conventional polearm shape and yanked the Shadow Servant forward. Dropping the weapon, she summoned her shield into her right hand and smashed the speeding Shadow Servant, catching him and using her strength and the shield's weight to pulverize the electromancer.

Smoking and wobbling from the electric assault, Avenger took hold of her spear and made a dash for Archer who retaliated with flying blades- _Black Keys_.

With careless swings, the Avenger smashed them all only to have her momentum killed as something glowing ensnared her arms and legs.

Golden eyes narrowed, looking down at the glowing circular pattern whose epicenter lay underneath Archer's crouched form.

The Avenger tsked as she easily spied the glow of a Command Spell activating on Archer's hand. Turning her head, the Servant of vengeance caught sight of the knightly Shadow Servant aglow. His dexterous hands struggled to pluck as his voice uttered,

**"Fail… naught"**

Thinking and acting fast, Avenger flexed her right arm, breaking the limb's restraint and her grip tightened around the lance's shaft, causing a crack. She then threw _Longinus_, but before it left her hands, her thumb and pointer finger plucked a shard of red from the weapon's form.

The thrown Noble Phantasm parted some of the deadly sound waves before it annihilated the last Shadow Servant's neck.

With Avenger, she broke the _Threefold Barrier's_ restraints as blood exploded from her back from the Shadow Servant's parting assault. Biting back a scream, the Avenger channelled magic energy into the _Longinus_ shard. Blood spilled just a millisecond ago and blood already present on her body and wounds seeped into the shard, turning it into a gnarled dagger.

Holding the knife in her one usable hand, the Avenger lunged forward at Archer's crouched form.

Golden eyes met blue and what Avenger saw... was acceptance.

For an instant she hesitated, and a fleshy squelch rang throughout the devastated basement.

Blood dripped down Archer's arm.

* * *

It had taken Ritsuka a second to catch up to his body's movements or to register the fleshy squelch as his conjured Azoth Dagger found itself lodged into Avenger's chest.

_Final Master of Panhuman History_. It is a skill that embodied all of Ritsuka's achievements. What distinguished him from the billions of people around the world and what allowed him ascension to the Throne of Heroes.

A powerful skill that made him the perfect field commander of the Counter Force, giving all those under his command an "Anti-Threat to Humanity" trait. Gods, Demons, Beast Class Servants, Types; as long as they were considered a threat to humanity he would possess an innate conceptual advantage against them which would spread to those following his orders.

But something so powerful came at a cost. An existence somewhere between Heroic Spirits like _Sakamoto Ryoma_ and Counter Guardians; the skill gave Ritsuka a "direct line" with the Counter Force and thus, an innate sacrifice of personal agency.

Ritsuka's arms had flown out, propelled by the Counter Force and disguised as muscle reflex.

Blue eyes widened and before he could cry out, the white ceiling above crumpled as the Grail's contents spilled.

* * *

The sky above was broken now. Black liquid falling and sloughing off the frozen mountainside. Ritsuka continued to embrace Avenger as the world around them fell apart. Savoring the moment before the Grail's illusion completely shattered from his rejection of it.

Angra Mainyu's black tide surged forth, separating the two in its current.

* * *

Ritsuka felt himself tugged by the collar, dragged out of the Black Mud's embrace.

Held in EMIYA's arms, the Counter Guardian stated, tired, "You're a real idiot, Master."

The black haired boy looked away, "Yeah… I am."

After wading through the waist deep mud, the duo of Servants made their way out of the Civic Center.

As both left the ruined premises, a message was sent out to Ishtar.

EMIYA and Ritsuka scaled a nearby building with the Counter Guardian conjuring a black long bow and a spiral sword.

Steel grey eyes honed in on the center of the Fuyuki Civic Center as he pulled back his bow. The warped sword stretching into a bastardized sword.

**"I am the bone of my sword"**

_"Fujino, it's time!"_

Within the Tohsaka mansion, a girl's red eyes glowed. Her Clairvoyance (Darkness) working in tandem with her Mystic Eyes of Distortion to complete the goal set forth by her summoner.

**"Caladbolg!"**

In an instant, a veritable meteorite crashed through the incomplete building, vaporizing the Lesser Grail within.

As the contents freely hanging above the demolished building began to spill its corrupt payload, the ground under the building foundations warped and twisted. The devastated ruins sinking deeper into the ground as a massive, magically created sinkhole bent into existence and caught the Black Mud. The depth and circumference of the hole enlarging to match the quantities spilling forth.

With the Mud mostly contained, the skies above briefly reverted to daylight as Ishtar loaded Maana.

**"An Gal Tā Kigal Shē!"**

With that Noble Phantasm's activation, something akin to a falling star fell upon the sinkhole containing the Grail's corrupted contents. The blast vaporizing the substance and annihilating any Lesser Grail Shards that survived the earlier

* * *

As the authorities surveyed the smoking crater that had been the Fuyuki Civic Center, Ritsuka manifested beside Tokiomi who was still looking on from the building rooftop. The other human on the roof, Kiritsugu, had stalked off several minutes before.

"You won't let things stand as they are, right Tokiomi? With the status of the Grail and what sort of threat it poses to future generations."

"No, I won't." The older man picked himself up with this jewelled cane. "For what it's worth… I am sorry for not believing you or your Servant's words of the Grail."

The Servant merely shrugged his shoulders, "I'm also to blame. I didn't exactly earn your trust with my actions. All that we can do right now is to let bygones be bygones and move on."

Tokiomi's face was still downcast, "I… don't think I can do that. With what I subjected Sakura to..."

Archer's facade slackened, "Right. Well, yes, you can't conduct yourself as things were before. You'll have to accommodate the… events and their effects on Sakura." Blue eyes met blue, "You have to try. It's your duty as her father."

The red mage looked back at his Servant. Words didn't come to the stoic man so he simply nodded in affirmative.

Turning back to the site of the Grail, Ritsuka spoke aloud, "Kiritsugu will probably go back to Germany to retrieve his daughter. I'd suggest trying to get into contact with him soon before he goes underground to see if he can lend any help with dismantling the Grail. With him having a front seat to the Grail's nature, he'll undoubtedly lend a hand if asked."

Turning back to his master, the Archer could discern how tired the mage was. The younger man gave out a hand to assist, but was silently rejected. Understanding that he needed some time to himself, the Archer of the Fourth astralized. His invisible form leaping away and joining with the other Servants he had summoned for the now concluded Fourth Holy Grail War.

* * *

Servant Profiles

Class: Lancer/ Avenger

True Name: Mashu Kyrielite

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Parameters:

Strength- C

Endurance- A

Agility- B

Mana- B

Luck- D

NP- A

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance- A

Riding- C

Possession Inheritance- D

Avenger- A

Self Replenishment (Mana)- A

Oblivion Correction- B

Personal Skills:

Bunker Bolt- A

Amalgam Goad- D

Battle Continuation- C

Noble Phantasm:

Spear of Destiny: Longinus (Restrained)

Rank- D-A

Range- Anti Unit (1-10 Targets)

A stained holy weapon with anti divine properties. The Spear that pierced the side of Christ and spilled his blood. Named after its wielder, it takes the form of a crimson spear whose spear tip grows to eventually envelop its user's arm if enough divine blood is spilled by its usage. The spear's innate power, length, and size increases in accordance to the amount of divinity the opponent has, their spilled divine blood increasing the weapon's general potency in dealing mortal wounds. It has the distinct ability of absorbing blood and making its shape amorphous. A truly versatile weapon.

When slicing into divine flesh, it is almost guaranteed for the user to inflict a fatal blow. And if its true name is invoked by the user, it will strike the user's desired target(s) without fail.

Once wielded by Lucius Longinus and eventually falling into the hands of Galahad in his quest for the Grail, the weapon was forcibly repossessed by Mashu Kyrielite. Her reclassing into a hybrid between Avenger and Lancer forced this inheritance of arms but due to this being an unwilling inheritance on Galahad's end, the power within the spear that rivals the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad are unavailable for Mashu's use.

Mold Camelot

Rank- D

Range- Anti-Unit

A degraded version of Lord Camelot. Mashu retains this Noble Phantasm due to her current Servant form being empowered by the Ortenax System.

* * *

Class: Archer

True Name: Ritsuka Fujimaru

Alignment: Neutral Good

Parameters:

Strength- D

Endurance- C

Agility- D

Mana- C

Luck- A

NP- EX

Class Skills-

Independent Action: B

Magic Resistance: D

Personal Skills-

Final Master of Panhuman History: EX

A skill that denotes the user's status as the final human vanguard safekeeping the preservation of Panhuman History. It's a skill that acts akin to Pioneer of the Stars where if the user is confronted with insurmountable odds, it makes the chance of overcoming the odds possible. Along with this, the user and those they lead gain a potent anti-threat of humanity effect if the user recognizes their opponent as a threat to Pan Human History. Passively, the user also possesses Anti-Demon traits.

A side effect of this skill is a passive effect wherein Ritsuka has similar properties to a Counter Guardian. Properties include being able to link with the Counter Force to draw upon additional guidance in actions, being controlled by the Counter Force, or in extreme cases where the status of humanity is at stake, authorization to draw Mana from the Counter Force. The latter passive effect playing into Amicizia; the skill being the key to unlocking the Noble Phantasm's maximum power

Affections of the Divine: A

Discernment of the Poor: D

Magecraft: D

Saint Graph Modification: C

Magnetic Charisma: E-A

Veneer of Powerlessness: B

Noble Phantasms-

Amicizia: Vessel of Friendships

Originally a Mystic Code given to Ritsuka Fujimaru by Leonardo Da Vinci, it is an armored briefcase that contains the Saint Graph Cores of all Servants the last Master of Human History met in his journeys. Using it, Ritsuka can summon any Servant whose Saint Graph is stored within the case. Crystallized as a Noble Phantasm, the case has no need for a Leyline or Summoning Circle to bring forth Servants, though using a Circle or a Leyline would cut down on Mana costs by a noticeable margin.

If not funnelled enough Mana or intentionally used in that way, the summoning process will produce a Shadow Servant under the command of Ritsuka Fujimaru. In this state, the summoned Servant is more empowered Familiar than Heroic Spirit; lacking in sentience yet retaining access to their Noble Phantasms. It can be compared to summoning the developed muscles of the body but not the brain.

Due to Class constraints, the Noble Phantasm is only capable of summoning Servants under the same class as Ritsuka Fujimaru. However, this restriction is partially lifted when Ritsuka is under an Extra Class.

Rank- EX

Type- Anti Army

Command Spells

Rank- C

Type- Anti Personnel (1 Target)

Library of Mystics: Tools of the Master

Rank- E-D

Type- Anti Personnel (1-5 Targets)

Servants Summoned-

Arjuna (deceased)

\- Summoned alongside Ishtar to make up for not allowing the summoning of Gilgamesh. Alongside Ishtar, both would act as Tokiomi's secret trump cards.

\- Killed by Avenger after taking a hit from Longinus.

EMIYA

\- Summoned alongside Fujino as a demonstration of Ritsuka's summoning ability. As an ulterior motive, Ritsuka summoned him to assist in containing the Grail and for intel on Fuyuki.

Ishtar

\- Summoned alongside Arjuna to make up for not allowing the summoning of Gilgamesh. Alongside Arjuna, both would act as Tokiomi's secret trump cards.

\- She was also summoned for the purposes of getting Tokiomi more in touch with his 'human' side and for the human vessel bonded with Ishtar to know her father more.

Fujino Asagami

\- Summoned alongside EMIYA as a demonstration of Ritsuka's summoning ability. As an ulterior motive, Ritsuka summoned her to assist in containing the Grail if worse came to worst.

Tomoe Gozen (deceased)

\- Summoned to fake being the Archer of the Grail War. She would fight admirably throughout the Grail War while her compatriots moved in the shadows.

\- She would die taking down Saber Alter. Being dealt fatal blows, her Oni constitution allowed her to utilize her Noble Phantasm and deal the killing blow to Saber Alter before dying shortly after,

Shadow Servants Utilized-

Nikola Tesla

Oda Nobunaga

Tristan

William Tell

David

Billy the Kid

* * *

To sum up this iteration of the 4th Fuyuki Grail War: Ritsuka tried to flip the table; Tokiomi and Mashu Alter flipped it back up.

Still though, in this timeline Sakura is back with the Tohsakas, the Fuyuki Fire never happened, Kirei isn't walking down the path of evil, Kiritsugu isn't cursed, and there are efforts being made to dismantle the Fuyuki Grail.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**To clarify, Ritsuka Fujimaru in this fic held no knowledge of the Moonlit World prior to his gig as a Master. He was by all means, a complete civilian in every sense of the word. Then he got hypnotized by the recruiter to sign forms to become a Master and travelled to Chaldea. It serves as a possible explanation as to why the player character in FGO only realized Chaldea was positioned in Antarctica when he/she did.**

**Just in case some readers weren't paying attention, the blood drive recruiter is not Lev Lainur. I just wanted to deviate from Japanese design tendencies of "foreigner= blonde haired, blue/ green eyed person". Lev Lainur seems to be a brown haired brown eyed man while the recruiter is a brown haired green eyed man.**

**With Mashu Alter. It is an older iteration of Mashu that has been altered by the Grail. Alters are merely the reverse of what is already present in a Heroic Spirit. What might have been a niggling desire to avert Ritsuka's death like with Jeanne's thoughts on what could've been if she remained a peasant girl, Mashu's altered state has her doggedly pursuing rescuing Ritsuka from his fate. Though both of their resolves crumpled in the face of one another, altered or not.**

**With the circumstances of Mashu's summoning, Angra Mainyu did some messing with the internal systems after discerning that there would not be anything stopping Ritsuka from coming after and ultimately destroying it. Thus it tampered with the open 8th slot reserved for Ruler class Servants and summoned an Avenger instead. With Mashu's altering, she uses a Lance as it is the opposing force to the shield. Her being able to wield both as an Avenger is a contradiction that symbolizes her ultimately not having the will to kill a version of her Ritsuka in the end.**

**Sorry to the guy or gal who PM'd me on when the next chapter would be released last week. I said sometime that week but I got carried away on the fight scene between Mashu and Ritsuka.**

**Leave feedback in the reviews and have a good day.**

**Zennishi: that might be saved for chapters after the Grail Wars. Regarding !trap Ritsuka, there might be a joke or deception somewhere involving that although Ritsuka crossdressing was only for that specific instance in Shinjuku for a very specific reason. This iteration of Ritsuka won't be as openly flamboyant as Hirame's Ritsuka.**

**Midnight49: there is a sequence that I am writing the chapters in. All Masters will be in rotation on getting Ritsuka as their Servant in an alternate iteration of the Grail War.**

**Venmorsas: I'm gonna write beyond the Fuyuki HGW. Just that the first two sets of chapters are gonna be about the 4th and 5th Grail Wars then moving on to Apocrypha, Strange Fake, etc.**

**rottencleric: now that you know what that last EX rank skill is, I think you can piece together what sort of Berserker Ritsuka would be**


End file.
